There you are
by Ritter Sport
Summary: Sometimes, the thing we've been looking for was just right under our noses all this time. Tina/Mike
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **So this is my first take on Glee. I'm just dabbling around, and seeing where things go. I'm liking the whole Tina/Mike pairing, since I've been more of a fan of the underdogs and the unheard-ofs than those in the forefront. So this ought to be interesting.

Please tell me what you think, review!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

It's been close to four months since she and Artie broke things off over the summer break, and quite frankly, Tina didn't know what to think nowadays. Pulling her hair up into ponytail and checking her reflection, she stared for a few moments. Months ago, she felt heartbroken after the whole ordeal, wondering where things went wrong in their relationship, or where she personally screwed up. But these weeks, she felt remarkably better about things, but she still felt faintly sad.

About what, she wasn't really sure.

These days, Artie and Tina had patched things up. After the emotional breakup, things were initially awkward between the two of them. Glee Club practices were more of a pain than anything else. After one too many tense blunders during practice, Mercedes and Kurt staged an intervention and somehow managed to salvage the friendship and the sanity of the club.

But to say that things were back to normal would just be a huge understatement.

Looking at the picture of her and Artie that she had stuck to her mirror, she smiled softly. She kind of missed him. Scanning over the number of pictures of her and her friends that stuck to her mirror, she suddenly missed a lot of people.

'_Odd,_' she mused, shaking her head and smiling wryly.

Admittedly, she did distance herself from her friends for the past months since the summer break and the whole breakup fiasco. However, beyond that, things got pretty hectic in her life recently with her sister's upcoming wedding in a few months, her part-time job (or lack thereof), and helping out with the family's Chinese restaurant.

Adjusting the ponytail and checking that her makeup was just right, Tina realized that her life pretty much was a jumbled mess at the moment.

"Perfect," she muttered to herself, pushing herself away from her vanity and grabbing her schoolbag. And with a flurry of black lace and hints of dark pink hair, Tina disappeared through her door and rushed off to school.

* * *

"Hey girl," Mercedes watching Tina sidle into class, looking worse for wear. "You look horrible,"

Tina made a face and turned in her seat, looking at Mercedes. "Just what every girl wants to hear," She fumbled around in her bag, before pulling out her History textbook. Why she had history first thing in the morning was beyond her. It was the perfect excuse to fall back to sleep.

Mercedes looked at her curiously. "How are things with your sister?"

"I'm starting to think that she's trying to kill me," mused Tina, grinning crookedly. She spared a glance to the front, making sure their teacher wasn't around before continuing. "She's turning into bridezilla. If I see another swatch board or color wheel, I'm going to scream,"

"That bad, huh?"

"She's trying to go for a pink theme," Tina deadpanned.

"Go, No!"

"I know," Tina whined. "Our parents are trying to convince her to go for yellow or red, or both, I don't know. Since it's a Chinese tradition. My mom's having a fit right now about the colors,"

"I feel you, girl," Mercedes grinned, poking Tina with her pen.

Grinning crookedly, Tina chuckled softly just as the class quieted down and Mrs. Carson stepped into the room. "Thanks. I'll let you know if I get smothered by pink lace and ribbons,"

"Okay class, settle down. Time for a pop quiz,"

Tina and Mercedes rolled their eyes, groaning with the rest of the class as a collective round of protests filled the room and people started pulling out their pens.

* * *

"I take it back," announced Tina, as she and Mercedes joined the steady stream of students leaving the horrendous History class. "I won't die from the frilly lace, but from the pop quiz we just had. I think it took a couple of years off my life,"

Mercedes sighed. "I hear you, girl. That one was horrible," They walked down the hallway, towards their lockers. "Mrs. Carson seriously needs to lay off the sugar. She gets too excited with these tests,"

Tina chuckled, adjusting the strap of her messenger bag. "Right," she stopped at her locker and turned to Mercedes. "I'll see you at lunch," she said, before watching her friend walk further down the hallway and to her locker.

Sparing a glance around the hallway, making sure that it was still relatively crowded and no jocks were in sight for a possible slushie shower (since it was way too early for that), Tina shoved her History textbook into her locker and pulled out her Trig textbook. Stuffing it into her bag, she closed her locker with her shoulder. The textbook proved to be too big for her cramped bag, and she struggled a bit as she turned on her heel and headed down the hallway. Cursing under her breath and finally deciding to just hold onto to damned book, she looked up, just in time to bump into a solid body and loosing her footing.

"Oof!"

Tina went down in a tumble of black, her book and bag falling to the ground. She winced as the hardbound textbook hit her in the gut during the tumble. _That's definitely gonna leave a mark, _she mused, fingering her left side. Plus, her knees and butt hurt from bracing the fall.

"I'm so sorry," she muttered, pushing her hair out of her face and sitting up on the ground.

"Sorry, Tina. I wasn't really looking where I was going," said her victim, shifting closer to her fallen form and leaning closer and picking up their fallen textbooks.

"Mike?" Tina looked surprised, staring at the familiar boy across of her. He offered her a crooked grin, and stood up, helping her stand in the process.

"You okay?" he asked, while offering her her discarded messenger bag.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," she took her offered bag and book. "My back hurts, but yeah, all's well. I'm really sorry, Mike," she smiled sheepishly.

"You sure you're okay? That was one pretty hard fall," Mike looked concerned.

Chuckling, and feeling oddly warm all of the sudden, Tina shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine. I'm sorry again. I wasn't looking." She looked at him. "You didn't break anything, right?"

Mike laughed and hoisted his backpack over his shoulder. "I get tackled in football all the time. I'm pretty used to it," he scratched his cheek, grinning. "Though you can definitely tackle,"

"Hey!" Tina grinned at the joke.

The bell suddenly rang, signaling that second period was about to start. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you around, Tee,"

"Sure, sorry again, Mike!"

Mike waved, grinning. "No big deal,"

Grinning for some reason, Tina shook her head. Turning on her heel, she joined the rush of students and headed towards Trig class.

* * *

**A/N: **Reviews would be greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Thank you for your kind reviews and reading this piece. I certainly hope that once Glee returns for season 2, a lot more Mike/Tina stories will be floating around. I'm kind of excited to see how that pairing will turn during the season.

I'm not yet sure how long this story will be. I'm still playing around with a few ideas and I'm not sure if I'd want to inject everything into this story or try another one or two new stories as well. Right now, I'm just building things up between Mike and Tina.

Again, reviews are greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to fox.

* * *

Tina yawned as she closed her locker and leaned her forehead against the cold metal, closing her eyes in a pathetic attempt to get a few seconds of sleep in her. Behind her, students were hurrying out of school or off to after-school activities. And just when she thought she was getting comfortable (as comfortable as one can get in her current position), she was jostled awake when the lockers rattled as somebody slammed their locker shut a couple rows down.

"I don't think that's healthy," said an amused voice behind her, drawing himself closer and leaning against the locker beside hers.

With her forehead still leaning on her locker, Tina turned her head and grimaced at Mike. "Funny,"

Smiling, he looked down at her, eyes still shining in amusement. "It's kind of funny how a few hours earlier you were able to tackle me and now your energy levels are so low, you need to be towed home,"

Turning, Tina sighed and leaned her back against her locker. She really wasn't _that _tired, perhaps she was being a little dramatic about how her day turned out. "It was just a long day, Mike," she said, looking at him.

"All the more reason to just go home now and rest," Mike shrugged, pushing himself away from the locker and nodding towards the doors. "Monday's are always the longest days,"

Tina nodded, following him towards the exit. "Tell me about it," she agreed. After the History pop-quiz and her bump-in with Mike, it turned out that there were still another myriad of pop quizzes in store for her for the day. That, and she got slushied during lunch. And to top it all off, Rachel had been hounding her regarding a number for this year's Regionals (they aced sectionals a month ago). The girl's yammering still resonated in her head.

"I take it things didn't go so well today," observed Mike, looking down at Tina as they walked through the doors.

"Yeah, kind of," Tina squinted through the afternoon glare, surveying the mass of students that scurried towards the parking lot or bus stop. She didn't bring her car today and rode the bus to school. "I think there should be a limit of how many pop quizzes in a day a school is allowed to give,"

"Ouch," Mike chuckled. They reached the junction which lead to the parking lots and the bus stop, he noted that she was about to walk straight ahead towards the stops. "You didn't bring your car?"

"Oh, what?" Tina blinked, looking up to him. "Oh. No. I didn't. My mom's car broke down over the weekend, so while her car is in the shop, she's using mine. It's public transpo or walking for me," she shrugged.

"That sucks," he mused, and she just shrugged, grinning softly. Thinking that it would be nice to offer her a ride, he shifted awkwardly for a moment. "I can, uh, give you a lift, if you want?"

Tina all of the sudden looked flustered and waved her right hand. "No, I think it's okay. I can just grab the bus,"

"It's no big deal, after bowling you over this morning, it's the least I can do," he said, while guiding her towards the parking lot and to his old Honda Civic.

Tina looked confused, while watching him open the doors of the gray colored Honda. "Wasn't I the one who tackled you? Didn't you say that I 'could definitely tackle'?"

Laughing, Mike opened the driver's door. "Oh, you can definitely tackle, Tee," he chuckled and slipped inside.

Tina laughed at the teasing, and opened the passenger's side. "Hey!"

Pulling his car out of parking, Mike looked at her, eyes dancing in amusement. "If you are really bent on making things even, maybe you can do my homework or something,"

"No way!" Tina laughed, hugging her bag to her chest while watching him chuckle. "You do your own homework, Mike Chang. Or else I'm telling your parents,"

Mike made a face. "Tattletale,"

They made it out onto the road, and fell into a momentary silence. Mike bore an amused smile on his face, while Tina idly played with the strap of her bag, also smiling softly. While it felt odd to be in a confined space with Mike Chang, it still wasn't all that awkward. Some may assume that they don't really interact outside of Glee, but with a (not) surprising small Asian community in Lima, both Tina and Mike knew each other long before Glee.

And, well, this was kind of nice, though Tina really wasn't sure why.

"You can buy me ice cream though,"

"Sorry, what?"

Mike chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road. "To call things even, for your deadly tackle maneuver this morning. Ice cream,"

"Oh," Tina looked flustered, staring at him in surprise. "Ah, yeah. Yeah, I think that's manageable,"

"Manageable?" He sounded amused.

"Yeah, manageable," Tina grinned at him, before turning back to looking at the road. "Though, can we do it not today? I want to sleep,"

Mike took a turn, driving into a road filled with homes. "I figured that much. You can buy me ice cream some time this week then. I won't forget, mind you,"

She laughed at him. "You're a jock, if food's involved, I'm pretty sure you won't forget,"

"Hey!"

Tina grinned cheekily at him.

Slowing down in front of the Cohen-Chang residence, Mike pulled the car into park. Leaning on the steering wheel, he grinned at her. For the years that he had known Tina, it was always definitely fun to talk to her (or these days, playful banter).

"But you got to admit that I'm definitely one of the nicer jocks out there," he waggled his eyebrows at her.

Tina unbuckled her seatbelt and burst into laughter at his antics. Conceding, she nodded and opened her door. "Okay, okay. Maybe you are, you belong right up there with Finn and Matt,"

"Glad we cleared that one up,"

"Right," Tina smirked at him over her shoulder as she stepped out his car. "Thanks for the lift, Mike. See you tomorrow,"

As the door shut, he looked at her through the open window. "Get some sleep, Asian,"

"Will do, Other Asian!" Chuckling, Tina watched him drive out of her driveway and down the road. Turning on her heels, Tina hurried down up towards her house in hopes of getting some shut eye before tackling the day's assignment.

* * *

"You're looking better," noted Mercedes the next day during lunch as Tina sat down at their usual table.

"True," added Kurt, offering Tina a scrutinizing stare. "While I still do not entirely agree with your choice of wardrobe, you definitely seem to look much better as compared to yesterday. If I remember correctly, yesterday you looked like something the cat dragged in, with horrible bags under your eyes, and a bad combination of ruffles and lace,"

Tina blinked, staring at Kurt. "Uh, thanks?"

Artie grinned over his tray. "Don't worry, Tina, you're definitely looking better. I take it no wedding prep work haunted you yesterday?"

Tina smiled. "Yeah. After school, I just went home and slept until dinner and did homework. After getting that done, I just slept straight through the night. Surprisingly, my sister didn't call me last night,"

"Are you guys still settling with pink?"

"Pink?" Kurt looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Obviously he wasn't informed of her sister's horrible color coordinating skills.

Tina laughed and shook her head. "When I left for school this morning, my mom said that we're definitely going for gold-yellow and red. It's a Chinese tradition. The groom's family is also Chinese, so my sister's hopes for a pink wedding a squashed."

"Maybe she can have hot pink themed bridal shower then," Mercedes offered, while picking at what appeared to be chicken salad. "That's hot,"

"Ah, hot pink colored lingerie," Artie grinned at the girls (Kurt included). "Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Artie!" Tina chucked a lettuce leaf at him, laughing.

The table erupted into laughter, soon joking around and the possibilities of Artie gate crashing the bridal shower. Tina chuckled at something Kurt said, and looked around the table. Despite how things turned out in the past, things definitely looked back to normal (or as normal as things could get).

* * *

**A/N: **Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **Hi guys, thank you for all coming in and reading this story. Here's another chapter to build on the character development for both Mike and Tina. I'm really excited where the story is going so far, and with all that I have plotted already, I'm really liking it.

On a side note, have you guys seen the Mike/Tina teasers all around the internet? I'm buzzing with excitement trying to guess how those two will hook up. Though I did guess right that they would get close during summer camp. Mike in his, what I am guessing, counselor uniform looks absolutely fine!

So, here's this week's chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

"_Are you Tina? Michelle's little sister?" _

Tina looked momentarily confused as she listened to the person at the other end of her phone. "Uh, yeah, this is Tina. Who is this?" she said, hopefully drowning out the noisy chatter of the other glee club members.

"_This is Emily, one of your sister's friends from New York. We met during a fitting," _supplied the other line.

"Oh," Tina vaguely remembered a young woman with bouncy red curls during a dress fitting last month. "Right, right. Yeah, I remember." She paused, wondering what to say next and idly watched Finn fiddle with some sheet music. After another second of silence, she continued. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"_Yeah, actually there is. Since Mich is getting married in two months time, some of the girls are thinking of throwing a bridal shower for her,"_

"Bridal shower?" Tina echoed, looking confused. This caught Kurt and Mercedes' attention, with them constantly interested in the latest happenings of her sister's wedding. "Isn't that just a little bit too early?"

"_Yeah, we know. We just want you to know that some of us girls back here are already mulling over ideas for her shower. Call us excited," _she chuckled softly. "_The thing is, we'd just want to let you know that there are definitely high chances of a stripper attending,"_

"Stripper?"

Whatever everybody was engaged in stopped and all the members of the club where now staring at Tina, with a surprised and intrigued expression on their faces. Tina on the other hand held a bewildered expression on her face, as she listened to her sister's friend.

"_Right, stripper." _

Tina shot Mercedes a frantic expression, and blushed at the sudden attention from the entire club. "I don't think that's even legal," she said.

"_It's not like we're doing prostitution, girl,"_

"I'm seventeen," deadpanned Tina, adjusting her cell. "And I don't think my dad will like the whole idea of me attending a party with stripper in the room,"

Snickers filled the room, mostly from the guys, and Tina shot Puck a withering glare. She listened as the woman on the other end laughed softly.

"_Don't worry, there will be adult supervision," _

Tina felt like throwing her phone across the room, but she cringed instead. _Right, and who's going to watch over the adults? _She thought darkly.

"_Oh, and don't tell your sister. We just wanted to give you a heads up. So that you won't feel so uncomfortable with the whole thing,"_

"Uncomfortable?" repeated Tina, looking exasperated. "Oh, I'm far from uncomfortable,"

"_Great," _said Emily, not really catching the sarcasm over the phone. "_We'll keep in touch with you for the details. And then you can try to invite all of Mich's old girl friends from Lima. It's going to be a blast,"_

Rolling her eyes, Tina nodded. "Yey," she breathed into her phone. Bidding goodbye to Emily and ending the call, she turned to her friends who were patiently waiting for an explanation.

"One of the bridesmaids wants to throw a shower for my sister, stripper included. She called if it was okay with me," she explained to Mercedes and the rest, who were watching her with interest.

"Girl, if there's a guy dressed in nothing but a thong dancing in front of you, bearing his package for the entire world to see, it _has _to be alright with you," Mercedes grinned.

Kurt nodded in agreement, leaning over the back of his chair to look at Tina. "I must agree. Though I do not find a thong very much appealing, but when something is there to appreciate, one must definitely appreciate,"

Tina groaned but laughed still, burying her head into her hands. "You guys!"

"Hey Gothica," Puck grinned crookedly at her. "If you need somebody to swoon all those ladies, just give me a call. I can definitely put on a show," He flexed his muscles, and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ew, Puck," Tina scrunched up her nose, but grinned at him knowing he only meant to tease her. After the birth of his daughter, everybody saw a change in Puck. He became more subdued. "I don't know whether to thank you, or be scared,"

Everybody was laughing and coming up with possible candidates for strippers. Rachel shuddered when Jacob was brought into the conversation as a possible stripper. Mr. Shue soon arrived, bringing a stack of new sheet music with him, and practice soon went into full swing.

* * *

"So, I'm taking you up on that offer now,"

Tina looked up after closing her bag and hoisting it over her shoulder. She stared at Mike with a confused expression. "Sorry, what?"

"Ice cream!"

Tina blinked trying to make sense of the conversation, before she remembered their earlier agreement that week. "Oh, right!"

Mike looked smug as he followed her down the risers. "See, I told you I wouldn't forget. Your forgot, shame on you,"

Tina laughed and followed him out of the choir room. "Like I told you the last time, you wouldn't forget because you're a jock and it involves food,"

"Hey, isn't that borderline stereotyping?" countered Mike.

Tina shrugged, looking disinterested. "Maybe, but with most of you guys, it's so true,"

"I thought we agreed that I was way nicer than most jocks," He feigned a hurt look.

"Hey," Tina smiled, nudging him softly in the side after catching his fake hurt look. "Okay, okay. We already established that you aren't like most jocks. You're nice,"

Mike grinned in satisfaction and remained quiet as they exited the school building and headed towards the parking lots. A late afternoon breeze ruffled their hair, signaling that the end of the summer was just around the corner and autumn would soon kick in.

Noting the smile that played along Mike's lips, Tina eyed him suspiciously. "Hey,"

Mike looked down at her, still grinning. "Sorry, what?"

Tina eyed him, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but gave up and smiled. "Nothing," she said, as they stopped in front of his car. "Let's just go,"

10 minutes later, they found themselves at the local ice cream parlor, nestled in a booth and devouring their ice cream.

"This is nice," mused Tina, while spooning a mound of green tea ice cream out of her cup.

Mike grinned over his cup. "Yeah, free ice cream is always nice,"

Tina rolled her eyes. "Of course, to you, it definitely is," She watched him reach across the table and steal a spoonful of ice cream out of her cup. "Hey, that's considered stealing,"

"I never really tried green tea ice cream before, mainly because we drink a lot of green tea at home, but, hey, this is pretty good," said Mike, not really listening to her. He made a motion to steal another spoonful but stopped when Tina laughed and pushed her ice cream cup out of reach. "Oi!"

"Hey, hey. Get your own green tea ice cream," Tina teased. But for good measure, she leaned over and took a spoonful of his strawberry ice cream. "Now we're even," she grinned.

"So, stripper, huh?" Mike looked amused as Tina suddenly looked flustered.

"You're having a ball out of this, aren't you?"

"You have no idea," Mike grinned. And for good measure, he shook his shoulders and wiggled his eyebrows at Tina, who burst out laughing. His movements looked funnier than they were supposed to be seductive.

"Mike, stop!" Tina laughed, shaking her head and motioning with her right gloved hand to stop his shimming. He stopped and her giggles soon subsided. Wiping a tear away, she grinned. "You definitely know how to make a girl laugh,"

Mike suddenly smiled at her and leaned back in his seat, watching her return to her ice cream. "That's good,"

Tina looked up, and watched him watching her. There was a moment of silence as they both stared each other down, before she suddenly turned away and looked back down into her empty ice cream cup, a small smile played on her lips. "Thanks, Mike,"

He looked confused as he watched her fiddle with the paper cup. "For what?"

She shrugged and suddenly crushed the cup. Grabbing a napkin and wiping off some ice cream that got on her finger, she looked up and offered him a rueful smile. "You know, for hanging out with me and all. It's nice. With all the stuff going on lately, it's nice to take a break,"

He watched her for a moment, trying to process what she just said. Mike smiled and cocked his head to the side, watching her. "I'm always around to hang out with, Tee," He shrugged nonchalantly, and scratched his neck. "Or to just talk to," He looked pointedly at her.

Tina looked at him, startled, and suddenly blushing and flustered. She smiled at him. "Thanks, Mike," She checked her watch and realized that it was close to dinner time. She started moving out of their booth, "I think I should go home now."

"Here, I'll drive you home," Mike stood up.

Tina shook her head and smiled. "No, it's okay. I still have to run by the store and buy milk," She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and smiled. "Thanks again, Mike," she shifted, and looked awkwardly at the two ice cream cups on their table. "This was nice,"

Mike grinned and they walked out the ice cream parlor. "It's nice hanging out with you too, Asian," He shifted and nudged her softly. "And remember, I'm just around," He winked.

Tina smiled and nodded as they reached the sidewalk. She watched him for a moment, trying to figure out what she should think about him right now. _Mike was nice. _She smiled again at this. "Bye, Mike,"

* * *

**A/N: **Please review and tell me what you think or might like to see in the story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: **Hi guys, thank you for reading this story. Here's a new chapter. We're building things quite nicely and I'm liking where this story is going. This chapter will offer more character build up for Tina. Likewise a deeper understanding of what is happening with Artie and Tina. Things are coming along nicely, and I like what this chapter promises.

I'm buzzing with excitement with the upcoming premier of Glee Season 2. I just cannot wait how things will play out with Tina and Mike. That just offers a whole new playing field for stories. Likewise, I have a new plot bunny that I'm nurturing at the moment. I'll see if I can grow this one into a story.

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

Artie and Tina found themselves at the mall one afternoon, idly sitting by one of the cafés and watching people pass by. Since their break up, it was a rare occasion that the two of them hung out together alone. While they still talked to each other these days, things were still a little awkward for both of them. Though both seemingly agreed that they had (would) move on.

"This is nice," Artie said suddenly, looking at Tina momentarily smiling at her softly and waiting for her reaction.

Tina stopped watching a group of middle schoolers gossip by the fountains and looked at Artie. She smiled and slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, it is,"

Artie swallowed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He watched as she dropped her gaze and returned watching the group of girls. He momentarily watched her as a heavy silence fell on them. As much as they tried to assure themselves that things were alright between them, things really weren't.

That, and he kind of missed her.

He sometimes wondered if she had moved on from their breakup. Sometimes, it seemed so when he saw her laughing and hanging out with other people. And sometimes, he wondered if he had moved on, though he wasn't so sure at times.

"Tee?"

Tina looked Artie, started out of her reverie. Looking at him confused, she noted his serious expression. "Yeah?"

Artie looked at her, trying to figure out what to say. _I miss you. _"Is everything okay?" He smiled at her. "You look like there's something on your mind,"

Tina watched him thoughtfully before tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It's nothing," she said, smiling. "Just a lot is going on. My sister's been calling us every day about the wedding. Things are just crazy,"

"I see," Artie nodded and adjusted his glasses. "Your sister is not making you a slave, right?"

Tina chuckled and shook her head. "So far, not really. She just keeps on calling from New York asking if everything is in order. She and her fiancé are trying to fly in every other weekend this month,"

"That's good," replied Artie. He fiddled with his coffee mug as they fell into another round of silence again. Clearing his throat, he looked up at her and watched her finish off her brownie cup. "Tee?" he asked with hesitation. "Are we okay?"

Tina swallowed and watched him for a second, thinking over his question. "Artie," she breathed, sitting up and watching him. She offered him a small smile. "We're okay,"

"Oh, okay," Artie began to look flustered and his gaze switched between her, the brownie cup, and the crude cartoon drawing of Ms. Sylvester on the table. "It's just that I…uh, we…you…I, uh,"

"Artie," she stopped him, looking at him directly. She swallowed and slowly smiled at him. "We're good. We're friends,"

"Friends, right, yes," Artie breathily chuckled. He leaned against his wheelchair and smiled. "Yeah,"

"Yeah," Tina watched him skeptically, wondering what he was thinking. Having an inkling where the conversation was going, she shifted and sighed. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "We're okay, Artie," she said in assurance. Who she was assuring, she wasn't really sure though.

Nodding his head in understanding, Artie looked at Tina. "Are you…" he began, looking uncertain and oddly vulnerable all of the sudden. "Are you seeing somebody these days?"

Tina stopped stirring her coffee and went momentarily rigid. A million thoughts went through her head all of the sudden and faces crossed her mind. She swallowed when some lingered more than they should. Her gaze shifted to Artie, who was watching her carefully. All of the sudden she didn't like where the conversation was going. "Artie,"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," he began and looked away. He started to fidget and fiddle with his hands, and he looked crestfallen. "I'm sorry. I just…I…"

"Artie, stop,"

Artie stopped rambling, shocked at her tone. Looking up at her, he caught her intent gaze. "Tina,"

"We can't, Artie," Tina looked at him, swallowing. She felt her throat tighten, this really shouldn't happen – not again. She sighed loudly and watched him. "Just don't go there. We tried before, and it didn't work out. We can't keep on doing this. I'm tired of getting hurt, and I'm sure you are too. Don't you think we owe it to ourselves to move on? Artie, we will be fine. We will be,"

Artie sat there, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He suddenly felt his heart drop and he shifted his gaze to hide his sad demeanor. _So much for that. _He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "Right," he mumbled. Looking up, he offered her a rueful smile. "Right, you're right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry, Tee,"

Tina nodded and shared his rueful smile. "It's okay," she sighed. Pushing away her half-empty cup of coffee, she stood up and looked at him. "How about we go around the mall a bit until your dad picks us up? Maybe we can check out the comic book store you like,"

"Okay," Artie nodded and allowed her to push his wheelchair. Their trip around the mall was filled with small talk and pathetic attempts at jokes. After purchasing some Spiderman comics and a couple of pretzels, the two met up with Artie's dad.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Abrams," Tina smiled at Artie's dad, as they stopped in front of her home. Slowly scooting out of the car and hopping out, she offered Artie another smile. "Thanks for this afternoon, Artie. I'll see you in school on Monday,"

"Right, bye, Tee," Artie waved at her and watched her close the car door.

"Bye," Tina smiled, adjusted her bag over her shoulder and stepped away from the car. She waved at the father and son pair and watched them drive off. Her smile dropped as the car sped off and she sighed as she thought of how the day went.

"Just great," she sighed, walking into her house and hanging her head. Hopefully, things would be better between her and Artie. _Enough with the pretending._

_

* * *

_

Decked in a pair of shorts, tank top and running shoes, Tina bounded down the stairs early the following morning. Holding her iPhone in one hand, she waved at her mom with the other. "Going out for a jog," she announced.

"Surprise, surprise, on a Sunday morning?" Her mother grinned at her from across the kitchen.

Tightening her ponytail, Tina made a face at her mother. "I fell asleep absurdly early last night. So I'm wide awake now. Might as well go for a run,"

"Right," Her mom smiled and nodded, while cradling a cup of coffee in her hands. She watched Tina strap her iPhone around her arm.

"Gotta go. See you later, Mom," Tina waved and turned on the mp3 player of her phone. Shoving the earbuds into her hears, she rushed out the front door and started jogging down the road.

With a mix of Cobra Starship, Beatles and U2 songs blasting in her ear, Tina steadily jogged down the sidewalk passing homes and neighbors that were standing on their patios on an early Sunday morning. Waving at the old couple that was having breakfast on their front lawn, Tina rounded a corner and picked up her speed a little bit.

"_Are you seeing somebody these days?"_

Artie's question from last night hung heavily over her head. Since the breakup, she hasn't dated anybody else. Sure she had hung out with other guys, but she really wasn't sure that constituted as dating. Tina frowned. Maybe she should start dating again. She was feeling lonely, and it would be nice to be with somebody again. To cuddle, to hug, to kiss, to…

"Right," she sighed, cutting off that train of thought. Perhaps it would be best to date somebody again. She faintly remembered the guys that came to mind when Artie asked that question yesterday and she smiled. Dating again was definitely a good idea.

As she entered the nearby park, she softly sang to '_Good girls go bad,' _of Cobra Starship, Tina smiled and bobbed her head to the beat of the music. As the music ended, she reached out to her arm strap, trying to adjust her playlist and loop another group of songs. Not even bothering to stop in her run or even look up, colliding into somebody seemed inevitable.

And luck never seemed to be on her side anyway.

"Oof!"

Tina yelped loudly as the wind was knocked out of her as a solid body hit her square in the chest. She shrieked as she stumbled backwards, and in fear of hitting the pavement she blindly reached out in her backward tumble fisting a t-shirt and grabbing hold onto a forearm. Both of them tumbled backwards nonetheless, teetering to the side, and solidly landing on the grass next to the pavement. If possible, the wind was once again knocked out of her as whoever she bumped into fell on top of her.

"Ah," she whined, wincing in pain, lolling her head to the side and closing her eyes. "Au, au, au, au,"

"Oh god, Tina! I'm sorry,"

Black eyes snapped open at the familiar voice, and she stared wide-eyed at Mike's face that hovered just inches away from her own. Trying to think through the haze of pain, she faintly became aware of his close proximity and how he just lay sprawled on top of her. Swallowing, Tina stared at him and grimaced through the dull pain. "What's wrong with us? We seriously should stop meeting like this,"

Mike breathed unevenly, taking in the close proximity they were in. Despite the circumstances, it felt gloriously wonderful. Swallowing at that train of thought, he watched her wince and he blushed and apologized. "I'm sorry," he said, and rolled off of her, and came to lie down next to her.

"I think," Tina wheezed, while staring at the blue sky above them. "I think I saw my life flash before my eyes,"

He abruptly sat up, worried that the impact might have actually done some damage to the girl. Looking down at her sprawled out form, with her hair all fanned out beneath her, and staring intently at the sky, he wondered if he should be really worried. "God, I'm sorry, Tee. Are you hurt? Did I hurt you? Is something broken?"

"Mike," Tina stopped him, her head lolled to his side and she clutched his jersey to make him stop talking. "Shut up,"

"Okay," Mike blinked, and watched her close her eyes and turn her face to the sky again. He watched her intently. Shadows of the leaves from the tree nearby danced across her face, and he smiled. _Beautiful. _

"Lie down," she mumbled, and tugged his shirt sharply urging him to lie back down next to her. Letting go of his shirt when she thought he got the message, she placed both of her hands on her stomach and tried to level her breathing. The fall still got her dizzy.

Mike smiled and slowly obliged to her request, easily filling the space he lay in earlier. Relishing in the close proximity, he spared her a sideward glance. "You sure you are okay?" he asked again, confused at what was just happening and worried that the fall might have caused some damage.

Tina opened her eyes, she breathed and turned her face to him. She smiled. "Yeah, I am,"

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**A/N: **Please review and tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: **Hi guys, here's chapter 5 for this story. I'm hoping that as this story progresses, I could gather more reviews for this story. I'd love to get more feedback and perhaps story ideas for this. I'd love to make this more interactive. Reviews for my other story "Expecting" are also highly appreciated, since they help in the story and so far, I've gotten fabulous ideas for the story from you lovely readers!

I enjoyed writing this chapter, since it slowly opens the story to a whole myriad of possibilities for Tina and Mike. It also opens connecting factors between the two, which I enjoyed. It allowed me to put to test all the Mandarin I learned earlier this year from my stint in Shanghai, China. I've placed Chinese-English translations, just to make things more authentic and real.

I've already written out chapters six to seven, and I'll have those out next week, after my operation. Things are going along quite nicely, and I'm loving it. I hope you are enjoying this story as well.

Happy reading, people!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

"What's that?" Mercedes asked during lunch on Monday, watching Tina pour over papers with foreign markings on them. The group watched as Tina looked from the sheets to her iPhone, to a thick book, before cursing under her breath and sighing.

"Are you trying to decipher the coming of the apocalypse or something?" Artie asked amused, watching her frown at the sheets, her lunch forgotten.

"Huh? What?" Tina looked up, and offered her friends a confused stare.

"Is that the Da Vinci code?" Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, this?" Tina shuffled the sheets and tried to arrange the mess she made. She frowned when she found a sauce stain on one of the sheets. "These are Chinese songs. My grandmother wants me to sing some songs during the reception,"

Mercedes looked interested as she stared at the Chinese sheet music. "Really? We never heard you sing Chinese, or speak Chinese for that matter?"

"I heard her speak Chinese," piped in Artie. "They sometimes speak Mandarin at home,"

Tina looked at Artie and nodded. "Yeah, we do. Though I'm not really that good," she sighed and looked at the sheets. "There are a couple of traditional Chinese characters that I don't understand. It kind of becomes confusing, so I'm checking with my pocket translator and this dictionary," she pointed at her iPhone and the thick dictionary. "My grandmother really wants to hear Chinese songs, and the old ones she gave me are kind of difficult,"

"Girl, this all looks like a bunch of scribbles to me," Mercedes grinned at her, checking out the sheets.

Tina chuckled and nodded her head in agreement. Chewing thoughtfully on her apple, she looked at the Chinese characters. "Yeah, sometimes I think so too,"

The group fell into an idle conversation about fashion and music as they slowly went through lunch. Occasionally joining the talk, Tina fiddled with her iPhone trying to make sense of some traditional Chinese characters.

"Is it okay if we join you guys?"

The group stopped talking and looked up, surprised to see Mike and Matt standing next to their table with lunch trays in their hands. They looked confused why the two of them were standing there, considering that they usually sat with the other jocks.

Kurt looked confused. "Not to be rude, but, why?"

Matt shrugged and offered a sheepish grin. "Other tables are full," he nodded his head to the popular side of the lunchroom. And true enough, the tables were packed. "Not that we don't want to hang with you guys ordinarily, it's just that…uh,"

"Time to mix it up a little?" Mike grinned in an effort to save Matt.

"Just sit down you two before you embarrass yourselves further," announced Mercedes, moving her tray to make room for the two. Everybody else on the table did the same, with Tina making extra effort with all the sheets of paper settled around her.

"Cool, thanks," The two guys sat down next to Tina and Mercedes.

There was a moment of awkward silence around the table as everybody settled back down and tried to accommodate the new additions to the table. Kurt spared the two guys a glance before turning back to Mercedes and clearing his throat. "So as I was saying. TMZ caught Marc Jacobs wearing a skirt the other night. If Marc Jacobs starts wearing a skirt, it's a sign that men will be wearing skirts soon. I think I can so rock that look,"

Tina looked amused, looking up from her sheet music. "Don't guys wear skirts in Scotland for centuries already? That really didn't catch on anywhere else,"

Kurt frowned at her. "Those are kilts. That's traditional. We're talking about Marc Jacobs here, he's a fashion icon who can easily change society's perception of style,"

"It ought to be nice wearing a kilt," interjected Matt all of the sudden, looking thoughtful. Catching everybody's shocked expression, he quickly explained, sitting up straighter and waiving his arms for emphasis. "You know! It allows more movement, nothing too tight, uh, _down there,_"

"Oh god, no!" Mercedes watched in a cross of scandalized horror and amusement as Matt grinned and limply hung his hand in the air, and allowed it to sway back and forth.

"Dude!" Artie and Mike both laughed, clearly amused at Matt's antics.

Tina dropped her mouth and watched the hand swinging motion in amusement, letting out a small bark of laughter. Kurt on the other hand looked scandalized and stabbed his baked potato with conviction. "That is no way to talk about Marc Jacobs,"

Tina grinned widely, leaning over the table to look at Kurt. "I heard that in Scotland some guys don't wear underwear under their kilts,"

"Ah, a nice and refreshing breeze," Matt said with a fake Scottish accent and once again swung his hand in the air.

The table erupted into laughter, and Kurt looked outraged though slowly allowing a small smile to form on his lips. Shifting in his seat after the laughter slowly settled down, a smug smile played on his lips. He offered Mike, Matt and Artie a knowing smile. "I shall revel in the day when skirts become an in thing for men and laugh at your foolishness for today,"

"As long as we wear underwear," Mike grinned.

"Please," Kurt rolled his eyes and went back to his lunch. Shaking her head in amusement, Tina dropped her half eaten apple onto her tray and went back to her sheet music. The sooner she got through it all, the sooner she could start memorizing the song.

"Hey, that's Chinese," commented Mike, leaning into her and looking at the familiar characters. "Cool,"

"Yeah, my grandmother wants me to sing a few Chinese songs for my sister's wedding reception," Tina made a face. "There are some characters that I don't understand. My character recognition skills are horrible. Dad really wasn't all too happy about that,"

Mike perked up and looked at the sheets. "Hah," he grinned, picking up a sheet and looking at it in amusement. "I know this song,"

Tina looked at him with interest. "You do?" She snatched the sheet music and looked at the title. "_Yue liang dai biao wo de xin (_The moon represents my heart)**. **You actually know this song?"

Mike shrugged. "My mom loves that song," His face scrunched up. "She and my dad play it sometimes in the living room, and then they just dance to it,"

She laughed. "Good," She laid the paper in between them. Looking at him in amusement, she grinned. "You're going to help me figure out some of these characters."

Mike laughed and took her pen. "Ah, _ni kan bu dong hanzi ma?" _ He grinned at her cheekily. ("_You don't understand Chinese characters?")_

Tina looked indignant and frowned at him playfully. "Are you mocking me?"

"_Shenme?" ("What?")_

Tina laughed. "You are!" Squinting her eyes, she offered him her game face and grabbed her pen from his hands and pocked his shoulder with it. "_Wo hui shuo hanyu. Keshi you ci wo kan bu dong hanzi, yinwei hanzi hen nan. __Wode nanqing de shihou wo xueguo hanyu danshi wo changchang wangle hanzi," (_"_I can speak Mandarin. But there are times that I don't understand the Chinese characters because they are so difficult to remember. When I was still a kid, I studied Mandarin, but I just keep forgetting most of the Chinese characters,")_

"Are you guys speaking in code or something?" asked Matt, as the rest of the group stared at the duo with an incredulous expression.

"Oh you're good!" Mike laughed. He took the pen out of her hands, and started underlining some of the traditional Chinese characters. "My grandparents made me study the traditional characters, so you're in luck that I didn't forget them. Unlike you,"

Tina made a face at him. "It's hard memorizing all of these characters,"

"See, this one is '_men'_. You can tell by these characters that are like a door, and it looks just a little bit like the modern '_men'_ character," Mike scribbled under the Chinese character with Tina watching him closely.

The rest of the table watched in fascination as the two Asians suddenly fell into a deep conversation, teaching each other Chinese words. Mercedes shared a look with Kurt, both bearing a worried expression on their faces, before quickly glancing at Artie who looked at Mike and Tina intently.

"What is going on?" asked Mercedes, turning back to Mike and Tina, who laughed at something Mike said.

"I have no idea," Kurt breathed. "I have no idea,"

Mike and Tina's Chinese session led well into the afternoon when they sat together in their advance Algebra and biology classes. By the time school was over, Mike had successfully helped Tina through the entire song.

"Thanks, Mike," Tina smiled at him as she shut her locker and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. "My grandmother would absolutely love you,"

Mike chuckled and nodded her head. "Anytime," He watched her stuff some sheet music into her bag. "If you need any more help, I'm your guy,"

Looking up, staring at him through a curtain of black hair, Tina smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind,"

Mike watched her and tentatively reached out and very carefully brushed the curtain of hair away from her face. Swallowing, he smiled shyly at her and tucked the hair behind her ear. "Good,"

Tina felt her breath catch in her throat as his hand brushed against the side of her face. Blushing, she swallowed and stared at him with bated breath. "Hmm,"

Mike blushed, cleared his throat, and straightened. "Err," he breathed, shifting his gaze to the row of lockers across of them. "Right, I think it's time to go home. Homework, Spanish, Algebra,"

Tina let out a nervous chuckle and nodded at him. "Right, homework," While heading out the doors, Tina smiled to herself. Turning her head, she caught Mike staring at her, and they both shared a small smile. All seemed good.

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**A/N: **Please review and share your thoughts! I'd love to read what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: **Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews and comments. I had a blast reading them while I was in the hospital. I just got out today from the hospital, after they removed my gallbladder. Excited, here's the newest chapter for this story.

I'm excited of the story's direction. I can't wait to write more, as the character development for both Tina and Mike are moving on quite nicely. This chapter puts more focus on the whole Tike potential. It offers a more natural and at ease element for both of them. I got the impression that both characters are more at ease when they are not in the public's eye, since they came across as shy and closeted. This scenario offers them a safer playing field. I think both of them act more at ease if they are away from the big crowds, and act more themselves when they are in an environment (or company) they are comfortable with.

Reviews are highly appreciated!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

Mike watched in dismay as his parents moved around their home, dropping travel bags by the front door and disappearing again up the staircase to retrieve other items. He faintly wondered how many things his parents really needed on their 5-day vacation. It was after all, just five days. From his spot in on the living room couch, he cast a weary glance to the nondescript travel bags, to the playpen, and to the moving lump next to him.

Said lump moved further, made warbling noises, and squeaked.

"Hey," Mike looked down as the lump moved into his lamp and started to fiddle with the zipper of his jacket.

"Are you sure the two of you will be alright?" Mike's mother, Ellen, reappeared in their living room, staring at the duo on the couch. She eyed them worriedly and spared her husband a long glance. "I don't think this is a good idea, honey. We can't just leave Mike and the baby all alone for five days,"

"Mom, Jay-jay and I will be fine," Mike smiled at his mother reassuringly, and for good measure ruffled the baby's tuft of black hair. Jay-jay, the baby, giggled and made a grab for Mike's hand.

"See? Mike said so himself, I'm sure they'll be fine," Mike father, Sam, smiled at his wife and patted Mike on the shoulder. "I'm pretty sure Mike can take care of his nephew. Besides, Mrs. Andrews promised to check up on the two while we are gone. She's taking care of jay-jay when Mike's in school,"

"You two go on your vacation, you two need it," Mike flashed them his best 'I'm-responsible' grin and half hugged the baby.

"I don't know," his mother looked unconvinced and rubbed her arms.

"Mom, we'll be fine," he smiled reassuringly and started bouncing the baby on his lap. The baby laughed and waved his hands in the air. "See? He just loves his Uncle Mike,"

"I don't know why your brother and Jen decided to drop off Jay-jay this week. Couldn't they have just gone on vacation when we aren't on vacation as well?" his mother did not look pleased.

"It's like their second honeymoon, Mom. Cut them some slack,"

"We'll this is our wedding anniversary!" Ellen raised a delicate eyebrow at her son.

"C'mon, you two," Sam laughed. "I'm sure all will be well. Son, you have all the numbers, right? If anything comes up, just give us a call. Mrs. Andrews is just next door, so she can help you if anything comes up. The emergency numbers are all on the fridge, so you don't have to worry. There's also enough money around for baby food and supplies, as well as your allowance and some extra cash just in case,"

"Jay-jay is almost done teething, so he may be a little fussy at times. His feeding schedule is on the fridge. All his formula and the baby food are in the kitchen, in the first cabinet. There are enough diapers for around three days, so you might need to go out and buy new ones soon. Also,"

"Mom, I think you guys will miss your plane," Mike cut her off, standing up and holding the baby close to his hip.

"But, I'm not yet done!" Ellen sent a panicked look to both her son and grandson. With a strangled cry, she swooped down and kissed the baby on the cheek. She got teary eyed and kissed her son on the cheek as well, before hugging both of them fiercely.

Chuckling, Sam slapped Mike heartily on the shoulder and offered a half-hug. "Take care, son," Picking up their bags, he offered Mike one last smile. "We'll give you a call once we're in Miami. We'll call you guys every day, just to check up on you two and make sure that all is fine,"

"Right," Mike watched his parents shuffle out of their front door and pile into his dad's car. He waved as the car slowly drove out of their driveway and down the road. Sighing, Mike turned to the baby in his arms. "So,"

The baby blinked up at him, grinned, and held onto Mike's jacket. Cooing, Jay-jay promptly started drooling.

"Oh-kay," Mike turned on his heels and returned inside, closing the door behind him. Holding the baby at arms length to stop the baby drool from dribbling all over his favorite green jacket he sighed. "This is not how I imagined to spend my Friday or weekend, for that matter,"

The baby frowned when Mike slowly lowered him into the playpen. Not really liking the idea, Jay-jay immediately started to tear up and cry rather loudly.

"Okay, bad idea," Mike breathed, straightening and holding the baby close to his chest. He frowned when he felt drool on his neck and he sighed. "Great,"

The crying came in intervals as the afternoon dragged on. Refusing to let go of Mike, Jay-jay mumbled about his mommy and daddy, while sniffling into Mike's chest. He tried to offer the baby his bottle or entice him with baby food, but the boy simply refused.

"C'mon," Mike coaxed the baby after he finally stopped crying again, and sat in his playpen. "Maybe some milk? Or do you want to play?"

Getting a whimper of a response, Mike plopped down onto the carpet and watched dejectedly as the baby moved around the pen. Feeling lost, he sighed. Maybe looking over a baby wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Pulling out his cellphone, he called the first person that came to mind.

"_Mike?"_

"Tina, hi!" Mike spared a glance at Jay-jay, who squealed at him.

"_Was that a baby?" _

"Err, yeah. Listen, I need help. I'm looking over my nephew. And well, things aren't as easy as I thought they would be. Could you?"

"_Come over?" _ He swore he could feel her smile over the phone. _"Sure, Mike. I'll be there in 10 minutes." _

"Tina, you're an angel," he said it before he really thought about it. Blushing, he cleared his throat. "Great, I'll see you then,"

Tina let out a nervous laugh. "_See you. Don't burn the house down,"_

Successfully enough, Mike did not burn down the house within the 10 minute interval of Tina's arrival. He practically flew off the floor once the doorbell rang, signaling Tina's arrival.

"Hey," Mike breathed, smiling sheepishly at the amused girl at his front step. "I…uh…"

"It's okay," Tina smiled at him and slowly looked over his shoulder. "So, where's the baby?"

"In here," Mike stepped aside and allowed her to step inside. He watched her remove her jacket, and he stepped forward, helping her remove it. "Let me," he took the jacket and hung it on the rack. He was surprised to see her dressed rather normally, in a pair of jeans and a black sweater.

"Thanks," Tina smiled at him. Stepping around him, she walked out of the hallway and into the living room. A smile formed on her lips as she spotted the fussy baby in the playpen. "Hey!" she greeted the baby, crossing the room and kneeling in front of the pen.

From the foyer, Mike watched as Tina sat down on the ground and cradled the baby in her arms. Fascinated, he watched as Jay-jay stopped fussing around and stared at Tina with a transfixed expression. Mike grinned widely as Tina started cooing at the baby, and cuddling it.

"This baby is the cutest!" Tina gushed, looking at Mike over her shoulder and beaming widely at him. She giggled when the baby touched her cheek and made a grab for her ponytail.

"Of course he is," Mike said while moving into the room and sitting down on the couch, watching them contently. "He is my nephew after all,"

Tina made a face at him. "Right," She turned to the baby and kissed his right cheek. "I think you're cuter," And she beamed when the baby giggled.

"No fair," Mike whined. "The baby has an unfair cute baby advantage,"

Tina stood up and cradled the baby in her arms. She offered Mike a crooked smile and plopped down next to him on the couch. "Babies are supposed to be cute," she said. Absently, she played with the baby and turned to Mike. "So, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, right," Mike looked a bit confused at the situation. "Tina, this is Jay-jay, my nephew. He's 10 months old. Jay-jay, this is Tina, one of my friends from school. She will be your new friend,"

Jay-jay blinked at the two momentarily, before trying to climb up Tina's chest and hanging onto her neck. "Hmmm,"

Tina chuckled and hugged the baby. "Aw, he is definitely adorable," she turned her head to Mike. "And you had problems?"

"He kept on crying. I panicked," Mike raised his arms in defense. And as if on cue, the baby squirmed in Tina's arms, held onto her sweater quite tightly and began to wail. Alarmed, Mike sent Tina a pointed look. "See?"

Running a hand over the baby's diaper, Tina frowned. "I think he needs to be changed," Turning to Mike, she cuddled the baby. "Get the baby bag and that blanket. You might as well learn how to change a diaper,"

Nodding numbly, Mike shuffled around the room bringing in Jay-jay's baby bag and the throw blanket. Since they had no changing table, Mike threw the blanket over the small coffee table before Tina lay the baby down on it.

"There you go, buddy," Tina tickled the baby's stomach, in hopes of appeasing him. Kneeling in front of the table, she easily removed Jay-jay's pants and checked the diaper. Grinning down at the baby, she poked him playfully. "You have a wet diaper!"

Mike watched from the sidelines as Tina skillfully removed the diaper, rolled it up, and made faces at his nephew. With a flourish of baby wipes, a sprinkling of baby powder, and a quick wrestling match, she had easily changed the baby's diapers in less than 10 minutes. Normally, it took him half an hour.

"I'm amazed," whistled Mike, as Tina picked up the baby and promptly began to cuddle Jay-jay. He helped her clean up, throwing the used diaper into the trash. "It takes me ages to change him,"

Tina shrugged and set the baby onto her lap. "I babysit for our neighbors. After a while, you kind of get a hang of it," She picked up Jay-jay and allowed him to stand on her lap. The baby bent his knees in response and started marching on her thighs. "Hey, there,"

"He really likes you," commented Mike, watching the two play with each other. Tina squealed when Jay-jay pulled on her ponytail rather roughly in hopes of sticking it into his mouth.

Tina giggled and allowed the baby to climb up her torso, and hug her neck. Leaning against the couch and turning to Mike, she made a face. "What's not to like about a Goth girl like me?" she joked.

"You're great,"

It came out before he really even thought about it. And when he started thinking about it, Mike stared wide eyed at Tina, who promptly started blushing. Clearing his throat, Mike straightened and turned away from the duo. "Err," he breathed, slowly turning red and feeling his heart beat a mile a minute. "Do you want pizza for dinner?"

Blushing, Tina intently watched the baby but allowed a small smile to play on her lips. "Sure,"

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading, please share your reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: **I'm getting giddy. I so love the Tina and Mike pairing. I think because this pairing has so much potential in terms of story line and character development, that's why I am having a blast writing stories about this couple. That, and they just look absolutely look adorable together.

I'm currently bouncing around a few new ideas. A one-shot for the whole Tina and Mike at Asian Camp storyline. The way things were depicted on television left me a bit hanging, and it sounded rather off putting on some level. So I'd like to do a back story on that.

If you have special story requests for one-shots, please let me know. I'd love to write more.

Thank you for all the well wishers. It's been a week since my surgery and I'm without a gallbladder. When they cut me open, my surgeon said that my gallbladder was already necrotic – dead. It's kind of weird being anatomically less of a human being. I'm one organ less. I'm on a low fat diet for life now. Which is good though an incredible struggle.

That aside, we are moving on very nicely with our story. I'm hoping that you like the direction of this story and the pacing. I've written my stories up to chapter 11 already. I'm just so in love with this pairing.

Here's chapter seven. Please read and leave a comment.

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

Dinner proved to be a challenge for itself. While the pizza dinner for Mike and Tina went smoothly (save for the awkward glances between the two since the 'You're great' bomb Mike had dropped earlier), getting Jay-jay the fussy baby to eat seemed like a loosing battle.

"Eeek!" Tina shrieked and laughed when a tiny spoonful of yellow baby food hit her in the face. She made a feeble attempt to take the plastic spoon from Jay-jay's sticky hands, but he simply refused. With a shrill baby giggle, another round of baby food hit Tina in the face and down the front of her sweater. "No, Jay-jay, no!"

"Is everything alright in he—oh, no," After throwing away their empty pizza box, Mike returned into the kitchen and watched with wide eyes as Tina hunched over his nephew in his highchair, trying to make him stop waving his spoon around. A smile grew on his face as he listened to Tina's giggle as the baby slapped his tray, which was filled with a puddle of baby food. The food spilled down the highchair, effectively covering Tina and the floor in yellow-orange baby goo.

"Mike!" Tina wailed, laughing in the process and straightening. Her ponytail had come undone, and now hair spilled over her shoulder. Her normally pink and black hair now had flecks of orange in them. So did her face and sweater.

"I thought you were an expert at this," Mike looked at her in amusement, stepping into the mess and easily plucking the spoon away from his nephew.

Tina huffed and crossed her arms. "I am. But this little guy just loves to horse around," She picked at her hair with a frown. "That, and he loves food. No wonder he's your nephew,"

"Hey," Mike grinned and held up a couple of sheets of paper towels. "Like I said, he's cute. Runs in the family,"

"Sure it does," Tina rolled her eyes, and turned to playfully frown at the baby. "As for you, buddy. You're getting a bath," Figuring that it really didn't matter anymore that she'd get any stickier from all the baby food, she picked up the sticky baby and held him to her chest. She sighed when two hands easily touched her cheeks with a resounding splat. "Great,"

"Oh, he does like you a lot," Mike laughed at her while mopping up the mess in the kitchen.

"Are you okay cleaning this up? I can give this guy a bath, if you want,"

"I'll be fine here. The bathroom is on the second floor, second door to the left. Jay-jay's baby tub thing is in there as well," Mike waved her off.

"Okay, we'll be back in a bit," Tina smiled and marched out of the kitchen with a babbling baby in her arms. For the past hour she had been trying to get Jay-jay to say her name. All they ever got was mama and papa. Not much, really.

"So then," Tina breathed, leaning over the bathtub and holding Jay-jay upright in the water. She had her sweater rolled up to her arms in hopes of not getting too wet, but it still seemed futile with the baby constantly wiggling around and sloshing water all over the place.

"Say, Tiiii-na," Tina grinned down at the baby, while gently running baby shampoo through his little tuft of black hair. The baby blinked in response and slapped the water, sending a small jet into Tina's face. Wiping the sod off her face, Tina chuckled. "Right,"

"Tiii-na," Tine repeated a couple more times while idly bathing the baby.

"Tiiiii"

"Hey!" Tina looked amused, hearing the sound. "You're almost there," she laughed, rinsed off the shampoo. She let out a little yelp as more water hit her around her neck, and slid into her sweater. "Mike should pay me for this," she muttered.

"Mike!"

Tina looked surprised, watching Jay-jay fiddle with his rubber ducky. "So you can say his name, you sneaky little thing," she looked at him with a bemused expression. Wiping the baby's face with a wet towel, she looked at him thoughtfully. "I think your Uncle Mike is nice,"

"Mike!"

Smiling in amusement, Tina rinsed of the baby. "And maybe," she began, now talking mostly to herself than the baby. She stood up, with the wet baby in her arms, and wrapped him in a fluffy towel. "Maybe just as cute as you are," she grinned at the confession, turning to the mirror and staring at their reflection. She kissed the baby in good measure. "Though you are still cuter by a mile,"

About 20 minutes later, Tina and Jay-jay reentered the living room, with Mike lounging on the couch and watching some old Disney cartoons. Two cans of soda and packs of junk food were on the table, waiting to be opened.

"How is it that even when I'm the guest, I turn out to be the messier and wetter one from the two of us?"

Startled, Mike looked over the couch and stared at Tina. He chuckled softly, taking in her wet form as she held onto his nephew, who now was in his Blue's Clues PJs. His grin widened when he easily spotted some orange clumps still in her hair. She looked absolutely adorable. "Hey, Tee," he breathed.

"Hey to you too," Tina placed the baby into his playpen. She frowned when she touched her sweater, feeling the sticky substance of baby food, water and baby shampoo. "I'm a mess,"

"I'm sorry," Mike looked sheepish. Standing up, he motioned for her to wait. "I'll get you a clean shirt to change into. It's the least I can do,"

Before she could even protest, Mike bounded up the stairs and disappeared into his room. He came back a few minutes later, with a small towel and a gray sweater. "Here. Uh, I hope you don't mind. This is mine, I think it might be a bit big for you, but it's nice and warm," he offered, looking at her with a tiny smile.

Tina felt her cheeks warm at the kind gesture and took the offered items. "Thanks," she whispered, before ducking out of the living room.

"I don't know if you're bad luck, or good luck, kid," muttered Mike, turning to the baby and picking him up after Tina left for the bathroom. Despite himself, he smiled and hugged the baby. While waiting for Tina to return, the two of them watched the _Little Mermaid_ on television.

10 minutes later, Tina reappeared next to the couch looking fresher and cleaner without any traces of baby food in her hair. Feeling a little awkward, she hugged her torso, the sleeves of Mike's gray WMHS sweater hanging off her hands. "So, _Little Mermaid_, huh?"

Mike looked up at her, startled at her sudden appearance. He smiled at her appearance, looking quite adorable in the oversized sweater. "Ah, the sweater fits,"

Tina huffed. "It's like a dress," she commented, looking down and noting how it ended mid-thigh. She sent him a withering glare. "And don't you suggest that I start wearing it as one,"

"Hey, I'm the nice guy, remember?"

Tina smiled and nodded. "Right," she said, before sitting down next to him and his nephew. She grinned down at the baby, as he started to climb onto her lap. "Say, Tina!"

"Mike!"

"Okay, so maybe we will have to work on that," Tina smiled and pinched Jay-jay's cheeks.

"You have to be around him more often so that he'll get your name right," commented Mike absently, while sipping his soda. "It took him a couple of weeks before he got my name right. Before that, I was just 'Uncle Wike',"

Tina smiled down at the baby, waving his arms in the air in tune to a symphony of the movie. She looked at Mike, with an amused expression. "Do you want me to come over again?"

"Err," Mike looked at her, blushing. "Do you want to?"

Tina blushed and turned back to the baby. She smiled as the baby started playing with the end of the sweater she was wearing. "Sure, that would be nice," she said, before turning to him and offering him a small smile and turning back to the television while bouncing the baby on her lap. Ignoring the long stare Mike was giving her, she began to softly singly along "_Part of your world" _with Jay-jay gleefully squirming in her lap.

The three of them silently watched the rest of _the Little Mermaid _with Tina occasionally singing along to the music. Just as the movie was about to end, Mike sent an amused sent an amused smile at Tina but his smile instantly grew when he saw Tina fast asleep with his nephew asleep on her chest.

Shifting in his seat, he gently touched her shoulder. "Tee?"

Tina made a soft whimpering sound and lolled her head to the right. Slowly she cracked her eyes open and eyed Mike blearily. "Hmm?"

"You fell asleep," Mike whispered, smiling at her softly. He looked down at his nephew and smiled some more. "And looks like he did too,"

"Oh," Tina looked down and shifted in her seat. Very carefully she plucked the baby off her chest and cradled him. "Where do we place him?"

"There's a crib in my brother's old room," Mike directed as they slowly climbed the stairs. They entered the room, and Tina slowly placed the baby in his crib. Turning on the baby monitor, Mike picked up the other one and they silently left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Thanks for coming over today, Tee," he said later as they returned to the living room.

Tina shook her head and smiled as she helped him clean up the living room, picking up empty soda cans and food packs. "It's no problem, your nephew is really sweet," she said. Frowning, she looked outside the window taking note how dark it looked outside. "What time is it anyway?" Checking her phone, she winced. "Shit,"

_12:29 a.m._

_5 missed calls – Mom_

"I'm sorry," Mike looked worriedly between her and the window, finally realizing how late it really was. "I should have let you gone home earlier. I lost track of time, we were having fun, it's late, your parents! Oh no, Tee, I'm sorry,"

Tina waved her hand in dismissal. "Don't worry. It's okay, my parents are good friends with your parents, so they don't tend to worry too much," She looked down at her phone, trying to call her mother.

Mike shifted uneasily. "It's late. Do you want to spend the night here?" He blinked, faintly wondering if it sounded wrong on any level. "I mean, you didn't bring your car. It's too late to walk home. And it looks like it's going to rain. I would drive you, but with the baby, I –"

"Hi Mom?" Tina cut him off, rolling her eyes at him at his sudden frantic state. "Yeah, sorry. I fell asleep watching a movie with Mike and his nephew. I guess I lost track of time. Nothing's wrong. Mike just needs help watching over the baby, he's kind of clueless sometimes," She smiled at Mike. "I'm really sorry for not calling earlier, mom. I had fun watching the baby. Is it okay I just spend the night here? Don't worry about Mike, he's harmless," she eyed Mike in amusement. "It's late, I didn't bring my car. I'll be home tomorrow, is that okay?" Tina smiled softly listening to her mother on the other end. "Great, thanks, Mom. I love you. Good night,"

"Clueless? Harmless?"

Tina shrugged nonchalantly and stuffed her phone into her pocket. "I thought that was the best way to allow me to stay over,"

He watched her grin at him smugly and drop onto the couch. "But seriously, clueless?"

Leaning back and allowing her head to drop onto the couch's backrest, she grinned up at him. "Clueless is still cute," she said. She offered him a small smile.

Running a hand through his hair, Mike chuckled under his breath and silently tried to understand what was happening right now. Sparing her an amused glance, he straightened and sighed. "Do you want to watch television or do you want to sleep now?" He paused, trying to think of sleeping arrangements. The thought of them sharing a bed briefly crossed his mind. "I, uh, you—you can have my room, I can sleep on the couch, or my brother's room, or something,"

Tina curled up into a ball on the couch, and stared at the television, the opening credits of_ Beauty and the Beast _started playing. "I'm not yet that sleepy, do you want to watch this movie with me?"

Mike slowly smiled, watching her silently as the light of the television played across her face. She looked serene and comfortable curled up in his sweater. He felt his heartbeat quicken briefly and he smiled. "Sure,"

Tearing her gaze away from the television, Tina looked up at him and smiled softly as he sat down next to her and settled in comfortably. She felt her cheeks warm and her stomach flip as his arm dropped just around her curled up form, casually resting on top of the couch's backrest. "Great,"

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**A/N: **Thank you for reading. Share your reviews!


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: **I am overwhelmed by all the outpouring response I got for this story. Thank you so much! I am so happy that people like this story. And that more and more people are jumping onto the Mike/Tina bandwagon. I hope there would be more stories about these two soon! They deserve to be written about more!

And because you are such a wonderful reading public, and I am just giddy by all the Mike/Tina romance, here's another chapter to the story.

Thank you all for your suggestions and your reviews. To those who want a kiss to finally happen, we're building up on that one! Rest assured that things are definitely heading towards that direction in the coming chapters. I like the moments that they are sharing, call me a romantic, but I just love to write about their little moments.

Here's chapter eight! Feel free to leave a review and share your ideas. Cheers!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

The distant crying pulled them out of the surprisingly warm and comfortable confines of sleep. Mike became faintly aware that his nephew was crying, but beyond that, as the dark living room was bathed in the muted lights of the television (which now aired The Twilight Zone), he found himself comfortably settled into the couch with one Tina Cohen-Chang curled into his chest.

He swallowed as he became increasingly aware of the close proximity they were in. They must've both have fallen asleep while watching another Disney cartoon. Checking the VCR, which read 4:27 a.m., they must've been asleep for the past two hours or so.

His left arm was completely slung over her curled up form, while his other hand rested on her waist. Tina's head was tucked in just below his neck, securely placed on top of his chest. One of her hands was tucked between their bodies, while the other was slung around his waist, her fingers curled into the fabric of his t-shirt.

The scent of her shampoo filled his senses, and he felt his heartbeat quicken. Unconsciously, his arms tightened around her and he suddenly felt at peace. He faintly wondered if he was entering dangerous territory. Then again, he really wasn't sure what was really happening between them in the first place (and where dangerous and non-dangerous territory began.)

Mike switched his gaze to the baby monitory on the coffee table, as Jay-jay's cries became more prominent and the baby hiccupped. He sighed softly, silently not really wanting to leave the position he was in. It was definitely nice to wake up next to Tina.

Hearing the muted baby cries, Tina suddenly stirred and Mike held his breath. He faintly wondered if she could feel or hear his heartbeat. That, and he was worried that she might freak out or something. He watched her intently, as she stirred and shifted in his embrace, and her eyes opened slowly. It took her a few seconds to register where she was, and she stared at his chest, trying to straighten her bearings.

It seemed like an eternity before Tina looked up, her face bathed in the dull lighting of the television. They stared at each other for a few seconds, trying to make sense of the whole situation. A look of surprise and confusion crossed her face, fear briefly flashed in her eyes, and she stared into Mike's eyes intently.

She felt her heartbeat quicken and her stomach flutter. What was she doing? She swallowed, worried and scared. _What were they doing? _She looked at him, in obvious fascination. Sitting up, placing her hand on his chest (she faintly felt his heartbeat – was it really beating that fast?) in support, she pulled herself away from him. The arm around her back slid off and dropped to his side limply.

"Hi," he breathed, offering her a small smile. He looked at her worried of what she might think. She looked scared to him. He eyed her worriedly. "I—I'm sorry,"

"Hi," Tina sat up, swallowed and smiled at him. Her warm hand dropped onto his forearm and she stopped him from looking flustered. "We fell asleep,"

They shared embarrassed smiles and looked at each other. The moment broke when Jay-jay's cries filled the room. "The baby," Tina whispered, looking at the white baby monitor.

Tina shifted and started to get up. Sleepily, both of them walked up the stairs and into the room that held the baby. Tina smiled sleepily at the baby and quickly picked it up, wincing slightly at the sheer loudness of the cries and how he fisted her hair.

"There, there," Tina whispered, tucking the baby into her neck and rubbing his back soothingly. She bounced on her heels and swayed in the room, trying to fall into a soothing rhythm for the baby to fall back to sleep into.

Mike watched from the doorway, enchanted, as Tina began to hum a lullaby and rock the baby back to sleep. It seemed to come so naturally to her, which made everything about her so fascinating. He realized that he knew so little about her, yet, as he watched her with his nephew, it seemed to open a whole new side of her that (which he believed) only few people really knew about. He was enthralled.

"He must be in pain," mumbled Tina, looking down at the sniffling baby. Big brown eyes stared back up at her, and she smiled softly. She rubbed the baby's cheeks. "He's teething, so it hurts,"

Mike stepped into the room and watched them intently. He stopped right next to her, enveloping her and the baby in his tall frame. He looked down at them, and smiled at Jay-jay, brushing his nephew's cheeks with his forefinger. "I forgot about that,"

Tina looked up at him briefly, smiling, before turning back to the baby, who finally stopped sobbing. She hummed and cuddled the baby, swaying in the harmony of the lullaby. After a few more minutes of swaying, her gaze switching from the baby to Mike, she finally got Jay-jay back to sleep.

"He's asleep," she whispered, looking down at the limp baby in her arms. Stepping around Mike, who seemed to just enjoy watching her, she placed the baby back into his crib. "There," she whispered.

"You're great," said Mike, stepping up next to her and looking down at his nephew.

Tina blushed, oddly getting the feeling that he was not only referring to her baby handling skills. "Well," she whispered. "I guess I'm like the Baby Whisperer then,"

Mike chuckled and nodded. Stepping away from the crib, he pulled her by her forearm and steered her out of the room. They stood in the dimly lit hallway, their gaze drifting between themselves and everything else around them.

"We should sleep," he announced suddenly. He opened the door to his room, and turned on the lights. "I can give you a pair of shorts to change into, so that you can be more, uh, comfortable," he turned to his grey dresser.

Tina sleepily followed him into his room. She smiled at the sight of music CDs lining the wall, with a huge music component and an iPod dock next to it. WMHS, sports and movie posters lined the walls, with books and magazines strewn across his study table. She smiled, and sat down on the bed, watching him shuffle around the room. "It's okay,"

He was about to offer her a pair of drawstring shorts, when he turned around and saw her curled up on the bottom of his bed. He smiled faintly. "You do know that you can actually use the entire length of the bed, right?"

Tina looked up, and blearily eyed him. From her perch, she looked like a cat. "I know," she mumbled, and curled back into a ball.

Mike swallowed, watching her. He faintly wondered if he should just leave her like that. He turned off the lights, and the room was bathed with the dim light from the hallway. "Good night, Tee,"

"Where are you going?" came her muffled question.

Mike stopped in the doorway, surprised. Turning around, he watched her curled up form move on his bed, before settling into the left side of his bed. "The couch,"

"Stay,"

A heavy silence fell upon them, as Mike watched her curl into his pillow. He shifted, again wondering what was happening. He had a faint feeling that they were dancing around dangerous lines. "Are you sure?"

"Hmm,"

Taking her incoherent reply as a yes, he slowly stepped into his room, leaving the door open just in case his nephew would have another crying fit. Sighing, he stopped next to his bed, looked down at Tina, before climbing in. He lay on his side of the bed awkwardly, his hands folded on his chest and barely moving. With his heart beating in his chest furiously, he was increasingly aware of how Tina was curled towards him.

"Good night," she whispered. And before she would loose her resolve, she rolled closer to him, slowly placing her head onto his chest and slinging her arm across his form, startling him. She sighed, aware that her heart was beating furiously and obviously deafening her ears. _What are you doing, Tina? _

They stayed like that for a few minutes, again trying to make sense of it all. Mike shifted, folding himself around her and slowly settling in. It was uncomfortable and yet absurdly comfortable at the same time.

"What are we doing, Tina?" he finally whispered.

He knew she was still awake and he patiently waited. He felt her head shift and nuzzle into his chest. "I don't know," he heard her whisper. He faintly wondered if there was a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Okay," he whispered, taking the answer. Mike had a feeling that he didn't know the answer to the question as well. Or did he? He briefly touched her hair, stroking it, before allowing his hand to drop to the small of her back. "Good night,"

"Good night," she whispered, her eyes fell closed and she curled into his side. Before long, both of them comfortably fell asleep.

Hours later, with the sun peeking through Mike's windows, Tina woke up once again to the distant sounds of baby noises. She faintly heard Jay-jay babble in the next room. Events from earlier and the night before came hurling back at her, and she became increasingly aware of her current state. She blushed, noting how Mike's form had curled around her and held her in a protective hold.

He was still asleep, and as she watched him, she smiled. She had to admit, he looked handsome. And thinking back, Mike had consistently been nice to her and one of the sweetest and kindest men she had ever met. And it would be a lie if she said that she wasn't attracted to him. But still, she wasn't sure where this was all leading to. Was she having reservations? She wasn't sure. Confused, perhaps.

Very gently, she pulled herself away from his embrace and slowly crawled out of bed. Pulling on her sneakers, she silently tiptoed out of the room. She offered a whispered greeting to Jay-jay and picked him up, and silently made her way down into the kitchen. She figured she'd make the baby his bottle.

Placing Jay-jay into his high chair, she shuffled around the spacious kitchen. Heating water and pulling out a baby bottle and formula. Cooing at the baby, she mixed up everything and checked the milk's temperature.

"I should seriously make a living out of this," she mused out aloud, as she finally deemed the milk as drinkable and handed Jay-jay his bottle. He took it gratefully and began sucking greedily.

She sat down, and propped her head into her right hand, watching the baby in amusement. She had to admit, from the babies she babysat in the past, this one was one of the cutest and nicest. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was Mike's nephew. Tina smiled at that.

After a few more moments of loud suckling, the bottle was empty. Standing up, she took the bottle from the baby and placed it in the sink. "Good boy," she said, and picked up the baby. Swaying around the kitchen and rubbing his back, she burped him. While it was amusing to take care of a baby, it definitely was hard work, she mused silently. It was going to be a long time before she'd ever have one.

"I thought you left,"

Tina stopped swaying, and turned around, and smiled in greeting at Mike. She took in his unruly look, taking in his sleepy yet amused expression, his wrinkled clothes, and his hair. "Hey," She shifted uncomfortably, as he weighed her down with his stare. Memories of this morning's happenings were fresh on both of their minds.

"Hey," he replied, not moving from his spot and taking in her form that clearly looked that she just rolled out of bed. She looked beautiful.

Placing the baby back into his high chair, Tina kissed Jay-jay on the cheek and grinned when she received an amused giggle in response. "I've made you coffee," she said, pointing on the silently brewing pot. She made a face when this soundly oddly domesticated for her. Running a hand through her hair, she smiled at him. "I should go home now,"

He looked at her, suddenly feeling worried. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Don't you want breakfast?" He began to fuss. "I'm sorry, you spent the night here. I made you look after a baby, I shouldn't have—"

"I like it here," Tina announced, though blushing slowly at her revelation. "You've been really nice to me, Mike," she said and smiled slowly, offering more meaning to what she said. She fiddled with the sleeve of his sweater that she was still wearing. "I'll give you back your shirt,"

"Keep it,"

Tina stopped and watched him. Her hands curled around the ends of the sweaters sleeves and she felt once again warm inside. "Okay," she said. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she smiled at him. "I'm going now,"

Mike nodded, stepping into the kitchen he picked up his nephew and followed Tina through his house. He watched her slip into her jacket and grab her stained black sweater. "Thank you for helping, Tee," he said. He stopped and thought over his next words. "I'm glad you came,"

Tina stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. She smiled slowly and nodded. "I'm glad I came," she said. She watched him thoughtfully. "Call me if you need any help,"

Mike nodded and watched her leave. He smiled, and looked down at his gurgling nephew. He felt good, incredibly good – despite certain uncertainties that still hung in the air. But all was good. And later in the day, he would definitely give Tina a call.

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**A/N: **thank you for reading. Please leave a review.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: **Again, many thanks for your refreshing reviews. They are quite inspiring! They definitely keep me going and make me excited to write more chapters for this couple. And yes, I'm definitely taking this ship way too seriously! And I'm loving it!

So here's a new chapter for this series. And finally, things are definitely moving towards the direction everybody is rooting for! I'm taking my time with this, just to pace both characters well and prepare them for their further developments. Since I'm definitely leaning towards a more fluffy/romantic story, the pacing seems ideal for this genre.

My story mapping is relative done for this story. Later chapters still need to be written, but all seems to going well as of the moment. There are a few kinks along the roads that need to be dealt with, the closing and the like, but we're getting there.

I'd also ask for theme ideas from you guys. Those who are fantasizing about certain Tina/Mike scenarios, please feel free to share those. I'm currently working on a kiss-themed project (see story: Your Kisses). Just share your theme (or scenario) and I'll try to write about it and have it lead towards a kiss. (Genre and rating may vary, so I can try to do some sort of smut – I could give it a shot. Heh.)

But anyways, on with the story. Feel free to review and share your views. They make my day!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

As autumn reared its ugly head around the town of Lima, Ohio, Tina shivered as the crisp wind hit her face just as she stepped out of the warm confines of her car. Perhaps she should have opted to wear the black trench coat her sister gave her than just her plain jacket. Hoisting her bag over her shoulder and slamming her car door shut, she rushed through the parking lot and followed the crowd of students into the warm confines of WMHS.

With minutes to spare to loiter around the hallways, the school was alive with chatter and gossip as Tina maneuvered herself through the crowd. Taking a quick precautionary glance around the bustling hallway, she easily spotted a couple of jocks, though without any slushies in hand. With the cold season in, slushies were seen less and less in the hallways. Though the occasional beverage dumping still ensued, slushie or maybe some warm hot chocolate or coffee.

Pulling the sleeves of her gray sweater over her cold hands (she forgot her gloves), she rubbed them together to create some warm friction as she stood by her locker. After opening her locker, dumping her light scarf and some books into it, and taking out her AP Algebra textbook, she sighed and faintly wondered if she could get any warmer.

"Here," said a familiar voice beside her, as a steaming cup of coffee was thrust right before her face.

"Thank god!" Tina pounced the cup, taking it with both hands and cradled it against her face. Her flushed cheeks warmed and she smiled at the steady warmth the cup radiated. "I love you, Kurt,"

Kurt looked smug as he leaned against the row of lockers next to her, looking fashionable as ever in a wool sweater of Alexander McQueen fresh from this year's fall collection. He cradled his own cup of hot chocolate. "Me and Mercedes dropped by the coffee shop before coming to school, and knowing your caffeine addiction, we figured we'd get you a cup as well," he supplied.

Mercedes appeared next to Kurt, all ready for their first period. She eyed Tina with a knowing smile, watching the Asian girl take a greedy gulp of her coffee. "So,"

Looking over the rim of her paper coffee cup, Tina's eyes narrowed as Kurt and Mercedes watched her expectantly. "Why do I have a feeling of being cornered?"

"We're just two friends who brought a dear friend a cup of joe, girl," Mercedes looked amused. "Nothing wrong about that,"

The smug smirk on Kurt's lips grew and he leaned in. "Unless you want to share something,"

Tina shook her head in amusement, making all the beaded necklaces rustle. "I do feel corned right now,"

Mercedes' expression turned serious and she and Kurt huddled around Tina. "Girl, we do not know what is going on between the two of you, but from the way we see things right now, you and Mike Chang are looking quite cozy with each other," she stared at the confused girl. A cat-like grew on her lips. "So, spill,"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Tina said, staring at the two amused friends in bewilderment. She felt her heart leap at their assumptions and she oddly felt warm inside, and it was definitely not the coffee.

"We heard you two played house over the weekend," Kurt looked amused.

Tina blushed and turned back to her locker, shuffling things unnecessarily around. "I helped him watch over his nephew, no big deal,"

"Girl, it's a big deal when you spend three days over at a guy's house 'watching his nephew,' if that's what you call it," Mercedes placed her right hand on her hip and she grinned.

"I _was_ watching his nephew!" Tina replied, blushing furiously. Rolling her eyes at the clearly unimpressed stares of Kurt and Mercedes were giving her, she turned to them and dropped her tense shoulders. Her resolve broke and she suddenly felt sad. "I don't know, alright?" She felt suddenly deflated and weak as she stared at the two with a miserable expression. "I don't know what's going on, is that what you wanted to hear?"

Kurt and Mercedes shared a startled look, taking in Tina's worrisome expression. "We're just worried," began Mercedes, taking a closer step to the slightly distraught girl. "After the whole Artie thing, you know,"

Tina nodded and offered them a small smile. "I know," she sighed softly and leaned against her locker. "I just," she faltered and looked at the two of them. "I just don't know,"

Kurt sighed loudly and offered to straighten the myriad of beady necklaces around Tina's neck. He smiled slowly. "After the whole Artie debacle, we do not want to see you get hurt again," he said slowly. Brushing imaginary lint off Tina's shoulder, he smiled encouragingly. "You're after all one of our girls, and we hate to see you get hurt again because of the male's species horrible machismo and inability to treat women the way they should be treated,"

Tina swallowed and felt overwhelmed at the sudden support of Kurt and Mercedes. "Thank you," she said slowly. She thought over what she was about to say next, and felt warm inside again at the thought of Mike and the days they seemed to have unknowingly spent together. "It's just that," she began. "Mike has been really nice to me. He's been sweet and kind, and," she paused and smiled slowly. "I like that,"

"Do you like him?" offered Mercedes.

Tina paused, thinking it over. "Maybe," she stopped. "I, I think I do," she corrected herself, smiling slowly and her hands curled into the sleeves of her sweater. She remembered Mike's sweater she wore and how nice and warm it felt.

"We'll it's clear that the boy likes you two," Mercedes began, smiling encouragingly at the girl. "Because, seriously girl, he definitely has a way of getting himself near you,"

Tina smiled slowly, though it seemed distant and mellow. "You think? I just don't know what's happening. I don't understand why?" she said. She stopped and looked thoughtful. "I just, I just don't want to ruin things," she paused, looking sad. "He's such a nice guy,"

"That's where you have to take your chances," Kurt said wisely. "You know, like Elphaba. '_It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap," _he sang softly.

"You look really happy, Tina," added Mercedes, smiling. "We'd like to see more of that. And you do that a lot, with Mike,"

Tina smiled. "Thanks guys," she looked thoughtfully at the warm paper cup of coffee. She felt lucky to have thoughtful (though extremely nosy) friends such as Kurt and Mercedes. "I'll check my instincts, then," she offered. She oddly felt lighter and she smiled. "We'll see,"

"Good," Kurt snipped, and reached out to adjust Tina's sweater. It didn't fit his taste, but what could he do anyway? He couldn't dress Tina everyday. "It was kind of tiresome to look at you with your semi-confused state. And all this post-Artie sadness was really depressing. There's just so much emo and goth we can take. Spirits need to be lifted and happiness sprinkled all around. It boosts team morale and we will definitely win Regionals in January,"

"So this was all about winning Regionals?" asked Tina, as they finally moved away from her locker and towards their first period.

"Girl, that and we're just looking out for you," Mercedes said. She looked serious. "And if that boy tries to do anything funny, I will cut off his balls,"

Tina laughed. "Why do I believe you can actually do that?"

* * *

"Open up!" Tina muttered loudly, fiddling with her car keys and turning them. The car door did not budge and she was starting to get cold. Her jacket did not help. Muttering a colorful expletive, she dropped her bags and books on top of the hood of her grey colored '98 Toyota and turned back to the door with renewed vigor. If she didn't get out of the cold anytime soon, she might as well die. Did she mention that she got cold very easily?

"C'mon!" she cursed loudly, nudged the door and turned the key. Was it even possible for the door to freeze into place? It wasn't really that cold yet.

"I hate you, argh!" having a conversation with her car wasn't really healthy. Tina sighed loudly and pressed her forehead against the roof of her car. Breathing in deeply, she tried to calm herself and figure things out. If she didn't drive away soon, she'd be late meeting her sister at the mall. And Michelle hated it when things were running late.

Crisp autumn air rushed through the parking lot and Tina shivered. This was not going well at all. "Kill me now," she mumbled.

"I don't think that's a good idea,"

Lifting her head from the cold roof of her car, Tina eyed an amused Mike Chang blearily. She hadn't seen him at all today, since neither of them shared any classes on Monday. After having spent so much time with him over the past weeks and not to mention over the weekend, it felt odd not seeing him at all today. "What?"

Mike looked at her with an amused expression, and he shifted where he stood. "Need any help?" he looked between her and her car. Taking note how she folded her arms around herself when she mutely nodded and stepped away from her car, he guessed that she was cold. Easily pulling off his letterman, he dropped it around her shoulders and ignored her surprised look and turned to her car door.

A moment of comfortable silence fell upon the two, as Mike jiggled her car door handle and Tina watched him with silent interest. With his letterman around her shoulders, she easily felt it warm her cold form as it was still warm from his body heat. That, and as she pulled it tighter around her form, his warm scent filled her senses. It was calming.

An audible pop could be heard and Mike let out a triumphant laugh as her car door opened. Grinning, he turned to her and waved at the open door. "There you go," he said. "You better get it checked out, so that it won't happen again. You don't want the same thing to happen when winter rolls around, or else the next time I see you you'll be a popsicle,"

Tina's hands curled into his letterman and she bounced on her heels. "Thanks, Mike," she smiled at him. They looked at each other for a few seconds, looking each other down and trying to come with something more to say.

"Thanks again for helping me with Jay-jay over the weekend," Mike finally said to her. Momentary flashes of the weekend's event came to mind and interesting feelings suddenly came up. Both shifted uncomfortably and they shared embarrassed smiles.

"He's a sweet boy," commented Tina, her gaze flickering from Mike's face to her car and down to her feet.

"My parents will be back in town on Monday from their wedding anniversary, so they'll take care of him by then," supplied Mike. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to figure out what to say next. He felt his pulse quicken and suddenly become incredibly shy again. _C'mon Chang. Do it! _ He swallowed, staring at Tina hopefully.

"Listen, Tina," he began, stuffing his hands into his pockets and shuffling a little. He looked at her, offering a small hopeful smile and he faintly wondered if his heart could possibly beat any harder. "I was wondering if you're free Friday night?" He watched her eyes widen, and her cheeks blush. He blushed as well. "Since I'm off the hook from baby duty and all, I was wondering, uh, you know, if we could…on Friday…"

Tina watched him watching her with that hopeful yet bashful expression. She felt her heart hammer in her chest and she blushed as her stomach fluttered. The recent conversation between her and Kurt and Mercedes were still fresh on her mind. She felt incredibly warm. And she smiled softly. "A date?"

Mike cocked his head to the side, and smiled. "Yeah," he said. He swallowed. "If you like to,"

A cool breeze picked up around them, ruffling Tina's hair. Pushing her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ears, she smiled shyly at him. "Yeah, I'd like to,"

Mike grinned, and he bounced on his heels. "Good," he began. "Great, yes," he floundered around and offered her another shy smile. "Friday, then," He picked up her things from her car's hood, and grinned at her. _Easy there. _

Tina nodded and smiled at him, taking her things from his hands and dropping them into the backseat of her car. Slipping out of his letterman, she handed him back the jacket and smiled gratefully. "Thanks," she said.

Mike watched her slip into her car and she stopped as she sat in her driver's seat, looking up at him through her open car door. They shared a smile. "Friday," he began, leaning against her car door and ducking slightly to get to her level. "I'll pick you up at 6?"

Tina nodded and smiled. "Sounds great," _And it felt great. _

_

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_

**A/N: **Thank you for reading! Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes: **Hello my lovelies! Thank you once again for the fabulous reviews and comments that you all sent in for the last chapter. They just make me want to continue writing for the Tike ship all the more. Manny, many thanks, bb's!

So today's the day for Duets! Aren't we all excited! I cannot wait for my dose of Tike and all their Asian Fusion goodness. I hope the show will not debauch this couple and make this some sort of a prelude to an eventual Tike break up and a Tartie reunion. I am definitely rooting for a Tina and Mike endgame, with lots of adorable scenes, and their eventual reproduction of cute and uber talented Asian babies. Hah, a girl can dream. And if that doesn't happen, we have our fics!

So we're finally getting there, to the eventual Tina and Mike hook up within this story. Isn't that just exciting? I'm buzzing with excitement with where the story is going and what they will be doing in the coming chapters. Oh, sweet teenage romance.

I thought this chapter would be necessary, for a build up. I know that I am already layering things on, but I thought it would be nice to get this from Mike's perspective. That, and just have a slow Tina and Mike moment before their date (which will finally happen next chapter).

Let me know what you guys think after the story. And comments and suggestions are always welcome!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

When Tina failed to show up at school for two days straight, Mike grew worried. Though they had spent way too much time together over the weekend, he definitely missed seeing her around. And he suddenly grew worried that something might be up.

Walking down the school's hallway later that afternoon, he spotted Kurt and Mercedes talking by their lockers. Excusing himself from his group of friends from the football team, he jogged down the hallway and up to the duo. "Uh, hi,"

The two stopped in their hushed discussion, probably about boys and fashion, and offered him a surprised a look. Again, it was rather uncommon to see Mike mingle with the rest of the Glee clubbers – unless of course you were Tina.

"Uhm, hi," offered Kurt, looking at Mike with a confused expression.

Mike shifted uncomfortably under their stare. They seemed to look at him with a knowing look and he faintly wondered if they knew something about him and Tina – whatever there was between the two of them as of the moment. "I, uh, I was wondering if you guys have seen Tina," he offered. "I haven't seen her around, so I, uh—"

Kurt and Mercedes shared a look, as if talking telepathically. Mike wondered if they actually could do that. "Tina's sick," said Kurt.

Mike's eyebrows shot to his hairline and he grew worried. "Sick? Is she okay? Is she in the hospital? What happened?"

"Romeo, you better slow down," Mercedes waved a sparkly hand at him, making him shut up and momentarily look like a fish. She smirked when they watched him blush and begin to look flustered. "Mike, Tina's fine. She's just at home,"

Straightening his barrette, Kurt looked at Mike with a playful smirk. "Apparently she caught some sort of 24-hour bug. Nothing serious," He made a face. "Aside from the fact that she throws up once in a while,"

"Oh," Mike breathed. He shifted in front of the two, again uncomfortable at the long stares they were giving him. At the back of his mind he was already planning to pay Tina a visit after school. "Okay. Thanks,"

"You can bring her her homework," Mercedes handed him a couple of notebooks, as if already knowing what he was planning. "I'm pretty sure you want to see her later,"

"Err," Mike blushed and took the offered items. He smiled at them slowly and nodded mutely.

"Listen," Mercedes began, taking a step closer to Mike and looking serious. "Tina's our friend. These days she seems happier. We don't know what's going on between you two, or maybe you're still trying to figure things out, but you better treat her good. Or else,"

Mike listened to Mercedes. He felt himself nod obediently and offered a small smile at the two of them. "Tina's great," he told them. It was something he seemed to say quite often these days. He blushed and scratched his neck in embarrassment. "I, uh, we…I don't want to hurt her," he said finally. "I won't,"

"Good, I'm glad we had this conversation," Kurt said, eyeing Mike wearily. "There's been too much romance drama in the club already. How that is even possible is unimaginable, since we're technically at the bottom of the social food chain anyway,"

"Hurt her, and you die, Lover boy," Mercedes grinned at him playfully.

Mike chuckled and hoisted his backpack over his shoulder. He grinned at the two, feeling oddly renewed. "Sure," he said. "Thanks, you two,"

"Tell Tina we said 'Hi'," instructed Mercedes, as she and Kurt exchanged knowing smiles.

* * *

Mike stared nervously at the front door of the Cohen-Chang residence. He was here before, considering that his family and Tina's were pretty close. But this time around, this visit seemed more of a personal visit than the usual family social, and he felt nervous.

After ringing the bell, he patiently waited for somebody to answer. He expected Tina's mother to answer the door, but what he didn't expect was to see Tina's older sister, Michelle, answer the door. Growing up, he met Michelle a couple of times while she still studied in Lima, before eventually leaving for New York.

"Mike, hi!" Michelle looked like a grown up version of Tina minus the Goth make-up and clothes. She was taller than Tina, yet shorter than Mike. Her hair was just as long as her younger sisters' though without the colorful highlights. Employed as an events manager for the past three years, Michelle carried an air of sophistication and New York fashion style. Yet there was a young, upbeat air around Michelle that made her fun and extremely talkative at times.

"Hi, Michelle," he waved awkwardly. The last time he saw Tina's sister was about two years ago at a social gathering for the Asian community in Lima.

"Look at you!" she beamed and grabbed him by the forearms and dragged him into the house. She hugged him and laughed. "You were so tiny the last time I saw you!"

Mike chuckled. "I was fifteen,"

"Now, you're so hunky!" Michelle laughed when Mike blushed and shifted awkwardly. She pulled him into the living room, which looked like a mess. Planners were strewn across the living room table and couch, a seating mapping was smack in the middle of the table with miniature figurines and toys arranged in circles and squares. Fabric swatches of different shades of red and gold were all over the floor. "I'm sorry, the place is a mess,"

"Planning for the wedding, huh?" Mike offered in small talk, while looking in amusement at the toy soldiers that bore name tags around their necks.

"It never ends," Michelle grinned. "We're all excited." Her grin widened. "Though I think Tina's tired from all the things I make her do,"

Thinking it was wise not to comment, Mike simply nodded his head and awkwardly shifted where he stood. Just then Tina's mother, Jane, appeared from the kitchen and she looked mildly surprised to see him in the living room.

"Hi Mrs. C," Mike greeted, smiling at the Chinese woman. "_Xia wu hao_," (Good afternoon)

"Mike, nice to see you again," Jane offered a kind smile at the boy. "I'm sure you're here to see Tina," she watched him in amusement as he seemed to look a little sheepish and embarrassed.

"I, uh, brought her homework,"

"That's very thoughtful of you. Tina just caught some 24-hour bug. She's better now though, hopefully she can join you tomorrow in school," Jane said while moving around in the living room. "She's up in her room, you can go up and give her her homework,"

Nodding his head, Mike smiled at the elderly woman. "Thanks, Mrs. C," He smiled at Michelle and excused himself from the room, taking the stairs up to Tina's room.

"He's nice," commented Michelle, taking a seat next to her mother in the midst of all the wedding planning mess. Smiling, Mrs. Cohen-Chang nodded her head in agreement and a bemused smile played on her lips.

Mike stood outside Tina's room, knocking respectfully and waiting for a response. When he got nothing, he nervously waited for another minute before deeming it safe to enter her room. With the lavender curtains drawn, the room was dimly lit and he easily spotted Tina's curled up form in the corner of her bed.

Dressed in sweat pants and a simple lavender top, Tina was peacefully asleep with her blankets all tangled up by her feet. His smile grew in amusement when he spotted her curled around a medium sized teddy bear. As Mike crossed her room silently, he thought she looked adorable sleeping. Dropping her homework on her study table, he wrote her note and stuck it on the notebooks. He didn't want to wake her, after all it was just homework anyway.

"Mike?"

He stopped scribbling on the yellow post-it note when he heard Tina's sleepy voice from her bed. Straightening, he looked over his shoulder and watched her sit up and stare at him sleepily.

"What are you doing here?"

Mike stood awkwardly next to her study table, momentarily taking in her sleepy form, before looking around the room and taking in the music posters and the random clutter. "I heard you were sick," he began and looked at her with concern. He took a couple of tentative steps towards her and stood next to her bed. "Are you okay?"

Tina offered him a tired smile and she nodded. Touched by his concern, she patted the space in front of her and offered him to take a seat on her bed. He did so reluctantly. "Thanks, I'm fine," she told him once he sat down in front of her.

They stared each other down as a momentary silence engulfed them. It seemed oddly intimate. "I was worried," Mike finally let it slip and he looked sheepish.

Tina blushed and hugged the teddy bear to her chest. She smiled shyly at him. "I'm fine now,"

"Do you want to postpone Friday?" Mike looked worried nevertheless. "We can go out another time, we—"

"No," Tina said, stopping him. "Let's do Friday,"

"Okay," Mike paused, wondering what else there was to talk about. "I brought you your homework. And Kurt and Mercedes said hi,"

Tina smiled when she heard about Kurt and Mercedes, suddenly having a feeling that it was because of the two that Mike was here. "Thanks," she said. She looked at the stack of books on her table and she winced. "Though I could do without the homework,"

"Don't we all?" Mike looked amused. He looked at the old teddy bear in her arms. "Aren't you too old for teddy bears?" he asked just to lighten the moment and get their minds off their homework.

Tina looked at him in mock horror and raised the old bear. It was missing a beady eye and it had obviously seen better days. "Nobody is too old for a teddy bear. Especially not for Mr. Wiggles," she smiled when Mike looked at her in amusement. "I had him since I was five,"

"It shows,"

"Hey!" Tina nudged him playfully with her shoulder and proceeded to cuddle the frayed bear. "This is the only bear I have. And he's the best,"

"Okay, okay," Mike laughed and raised his hands in mock surrender. "I concede to Mr. Wiggles. He's the best,"

Tina laughed and her eyes sparkled in amusement as they looked at each other, sharing what may well seem a very personal moment. "Mr. Wiggles forgives you," She touched Mike's forearm with the frayed paw of the bear.

Mike laughed and patted the bear's head. He examined the missing eye and the frayed ears. He looked up at Tina in amusement. "You seriously need a new teddy bear,"

"Ah, yeah, well," Tina began, while placing the bear into her lap and looking at it thoughtfully. She played with one of its paws, feeling the soft fur against her hand. "I kind of like this one. But it would be nice to get another one, a Mrs. Wiggles perhaps," she giggled in afterthought, looking up at a very bemused Mike. "I may not look like it, but I do like stuffed animals,"

Mike laughed. "Don't all girls?"

Tina shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe?" she offered and proceeded to cuddle the bear. "I think stuffed animals are perfect for cuddling, especially when you're sick,"

Mike looked at her with interest, suddenly seeing a whole different Tina with her guard down and in her element. He smiled. "Do you like cuddling?"

She stopped and looked at him with wide eyes, she felt her cheeks warm and her grip around Mr. Wiggles tightened. She stared at Mike in wonder, silently wondering what this meant. She remembered Friday night and the moment where they slept in his bed. She swallowed as her resolve broke. "Yeah,"

He debated on what he should do next as they stared each other down, patiently waiting for the other to make a move. Swallowing, Mike tried to ignore the steady beating of his heart and the heat rising around his neck and cheeks. Leaning forward on her bed, and drawing himself closer to her, he heard her breathe in sharply as he smiled and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He dropped his hand, his fingers briefly grazing against her cheek, and he smiled thoughtfully at her. "Maybe it's time we got you something new to cuddle,"

Tina's grip around Mr. Wiggles seemed to tighten and her breath caught in her throat. She felt a sudden rush of emotions and she swallowed. He looked at her with a meaningful expression and she suddenly remembered what it felt like to fall asleep in his arms. A small smile graced her lips.

"Yeah," she finally said breathlessly, and her eyes seemed to shine as she looked at him. "I think so too,"

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading! Please leave a review.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: **Hello, again dear readers. I'm stoked by the support this story has been getting. All your reviews and comments have definitely kept me going and thriving!

And since there's no Glee today for us to feed on, I'm offering you guys another update! I hope this suits you all just well. However, I'm looking forward to the Rocky Horror Glee Show next week, since I really loved the movie. Hopefully they'll be able to pull of something nice. (Especially story-wise and character development-wise, since they've been a little dry on those aspects)

So here is another does of our all time favorite couple Tina and Mike. And finally, after all that waiting and developing, we're finally seeing that date. So I hope that this will whet your appetites and get you excited about what is to come. I had a blast writing this chapter and I hope you will enjoy reading this one as well. Your feedback is very much welcome.

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

When on Friday night the doorbell of the Cohen-Chang residence rang, Tina felt a small excited smile growing on her lips as she thought of the promise that ringing may hold. Feeling oddly giddy (when was the last time she felt this way?) and extremely nervous at the same time, she bounded down the stairs in hopes of getting to the door before any of her other family members would.

She sighed in exasperation when her father, John, took it upon himself to answer the door just as she rounded the foyer. "Hello, Mike," she heard her father greet Mike, and she felt her stomach flutter.

"Good evening, Mr. Cohen-Chang," Mike offered the middle aged man a nervous grin. While he met Tina's parents on other occasions, this time around it felt oddly different. He was taking Tina on a date. The idea of the date left him breathless and he liked that.

"Good to see you again, son," Tina's father smiled kindly at the boy and was about to usher Mike into the house when Tina popped up by his side and grinned at him.

"Hi, dad," Tina grinned cheekily at her father, who in turn chuckled after having been caught in trying to get some time with Mike. "We're going now, is that okay?"

"Have fun," Mr. Cohen-Chang laughed when Tina grabbed Mike by his elbow and steered him away from the door. "Don't come home too late,"

"We won't, bye dad!"

"Bye, Mr. Cohen-Chang!" Mike sent Tina's father an amused smile over his shoulder and tried to wave at the man. Silently he thanked Tina for sparing him any embarrassing moment with her father. He really wasn't that ready yet to meet her parents on this kind of level. _Then again, what kind of level where they at right now anyway? _

"I think we're safe," Tina let out a nervous laugh and stopped in front of Mike's car, leaning against the doors and smiling. She let go of his arm and smiled nervously at him. Why was she this nervous? She felt her insides gloriously churn. "Hi, Mike,"

"Hey," Mike's eyes twinkled in amusement and he took in her slightly winded look. While he saw her earlier today in school, she still looked amazing in her black and grey ensemble of a pleated mini-skirt and stylish sweater with a long pendant slung around her neck. A jacket hung around her shoulder offering some sort of warmth.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked when a moment of just looking at each other passed. Since dating Artie months ago, she never felt this excited about the prospects of a date. It felt so wonderful. Tina smiled at this.

"It's a surprise," Mike told her, grinning and opening the car door for her.

Tina looked at him suspiciously, watching him slide into the driver's seat with an amused expression. "Should I be scared?" she asked, after buckling into her seat and allowing him to gun the engine.

"Maybe," he offered mysteriously.

"Oh, I'm scared," Tina laughed and turned to the road. They drove through town for about 30 minutes with the car ride being filled with idle talk about school and glee club. They shared a few stolen glances once in a while, with nervous laughter and comfortable silences filling through the drive.

"Are you trying to kidnap me?" asked Tina with an amused smile as they drove past the industrial area of Lima.

"Tempting," Mike chuckled. He drove past an old storage facility and rounded the corner. "But no. So rest assured that I wont stuff you into my trunk later in the evening,"

Tina gave him a mock suspicious look and she smirked. "I'm still keeping an eye on you, Chang,"

He laughed. "It's a good surprise, I promise," he said. Within a few more minutes of amused bantering, Mike drove them towards a filled parking lot, with muted colors of various deeply colored lights and structures looming over head. They could faintly hear the sounds of music and people from the outside.

Tina laughed and stared through the window in amazement, her eyes dancing as she took in the overhead colors and sights. "The town's theme park!" she smiled brightly. A stray balloon flew off over head and she watched it momentarily. "It's been ages since I've been here,"

"I thought it would be fun," Mike looked at her sheepishly. His smile grew when she looked genuinely excited about the whole prospect. "I know there aren't many exciting things about our theme park, it may be potentially dangerous even, but it ought to be worth exploring at night, right?"

"It's great," Tina beamed at him.

They left his car in high spirits and quickly made their way into the bustling theme park. It didn't offer much, consider that this was Lima, Ohio they were talking about but it still had its many game booths and food stalls, with dingy adventure booths and a questionable horror house on the side. There were a couple of rides, like the ferries wheel, kiddie rides, a tiny excuse of a roller coaster and other possible rusty death contraptions.

"I love this!" Tina laughed as she stood next to Mike, taking in the sights and sounds of the sorry excuse of theme park. It was impossibly quaint, yet incredibly amusing to her. Watching people and children bustle around the park, laughing and talking, it felt invigorating to watch.

"I'm glad," Mike smiled down at her, watching her in amusement as she looked through the park in wonderment. Mentally sighing, he tapped himself on the shoulder for deciding to take her here. While the idea may have seemed cliché, he thought that Tina might actually enjoy the place.

"C'mon," Tina grinned and before even really thinking about it, laced her left arm with his right arm and pulled him towards the stalls. She smiled, her stomach fluttering as she finally took in their close proximity and the way their bodies bumped into each other with every step they took. Feeling his tall frame envelope her small form, it felt blissfully wonderful.

Settling comfortably side by side, the two fell into a comfortably round of soft banter and teasing as they took on the adventure houses and low budget horror house. They laughed when puppets looked more amusing than frightening or when ghouls and goblins seemed to have fallen asleep on their job. While the trick may have worked for little children, they were more amused than scared.

"Admit it," Mike grinned as they stumbled out of the horror in peals of amused laughter. He held her arm as Tina continued to giggle, highly amused at how just minutes ago the prosthetic nose of the witch had fallen off. "You were scared,"

Tina nudged him roughly and laughed when he pulled her along in his sideward stumble, bumping their bodies together. "I was not!" she beamed up at him and laughed at his suspicious expression. "I was startled at the mummy that jumped out of nowhere, but that's different from being scared,"

"You shrieked,"

"I was startled!" Tina laughed and elbowed him playfully. Giggling when he looked unconvinced in an amused way, she tugged his arm. "C'mon let's look at the rides,"

"Aren't you energetic?" Mike looked at her in amusement. He felt himself grow in happiness, this was definitely a good idea.

"I like it here," Tina smiled as they made their way through the crowds and looked around for rides they could try out. "I like theme parks, I like the energy it brings and seeing people happy because of some cheap thrills. When I was a kid I used to come here a lot,"

"You look very happy," commented Mike looking at her thoughtfully.

"I am very happy," Tina said, and subconsciously took a step closer to him. She felt herself getting enveloped again in his tall frame, and it felt incredibly safe. She smiled at that.

Mike blushed and nodded shyly. They rode the small rollercoaster which jiggled questionably throughout the ride (and they vowed never to ride it again), and a couple of kiddie rides since there weren't many adult attractions around the park.

"How about the ferries wheel?" suggest Mike after they rode the Tea Cup ride, which was amusing and embarrassing all rolled in one. (They took a picture together with his phone, just to immortalize the amusing moment)

Tina pushed her hair away from her face and looked up at the circular contraption Mike was pointing at. It wasn't much, and not very grand in its height, and she made a face. "It kind of looks like you can contract tetanus from it," she said.

"And that's what makes it more exciting!" Mike laughed.

Tina looked apprehensive and stared at the top passenger car as the wheel stopped. She felt nervous. "I don't know," she mumbled and shifted uncomfortably.

Mike looked down at her, noting the sudden drop of enthusiasm. Eying her worriedly, he took a step closer. "Are you scared?"

Tina laughed nervously and looked up at him. "Am I that obvious?"

"You're happiness meter just took a nosedive, so it's hard not to miss," Mike looked at her in mild amusement. "It's pretty safe, you know. I rode it a couple of times before with my little cousins, and they rocked our car around. I promise, we won't do that,"

Tina smiled at his concern. "I'm not much a fan of heights," she eyed the passenger carts wearily. She faintly wondered what it would be like at this time of night to sit up there all alone with Mike. It ought to be nice, right? A small smile played on her lips. "Okay,"

"I can hold your hand," Mike offered, blushing and looking at her with an amused expression.

Tina laughed and remained quiet as she took his arm and they walked towards the ferries wheel, joining the small crowd around it. Looking nervously between the ground controls to the wheel as it steadily moved around, Tina gulped. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

She let out a little gasp as they took their seat in the old cart and it rocked a little as they sat down. As they were strapped down and the safety bar locked safely into place, she cast the technician a worried glance before intently eyeing the slightly rusty bar. This was not good.

Chuckling softly at her nervousness, Mike took in her nervous demeanor and cast her a soft glance. Her knuckles where turning white as they held onto the safety bar intently when they made their slow ascent towards the top. "It's going to be okay," he told her, and slowly he covered his right hand over her white left hand.

Tina nodded mutely and she fixed her gaze onto his hand that covered her own. She listened as he softly instructed her to breathe and keep calm, and nothing was going to happen, and very slowly she loosened her grip around the bar. Turning her hand, she allowed his fingers to interlace with her own. Her heart skipped a beat how nice and warm his hand felt in her own, and how extremely comforting it was.

The wheel stopped as they reached the top and the cart shook slightly, causing Tina to close her eyes abruptly and gasp. Her grasp tightened and she felt herself relax as he squeezed back in reassurance.

"We're on top," said Mike in a hushed whisper, looking at her nervous form. He smiled when she refused to open her eyes. "It's really beautiful up here," he began, though he was just looking at her. "Open your eyes. It's okay, I'm here. Nothing is going to happen,"

Tina sighed softly and opened her eyes slowly, looking up at Mike's smiling face. She felt incredibly nervous all of the sudden and not because of the height. Blushing at the close proximity of the two, she looked away and towards the skyline. She took a sharp intake of breath and she smiled. Lima looked beautiful at night, with all the lights dotting the streets and people bustling around. "Beautiful,"

"Yeah," Mike breathed, while keeping his eyes on her as she looked around in awe.

Noting that he was just staring at her, Tina blushed and turned to him. "This is," she began, in a hushed whisper all of the sudden really nervous and shy. "This is really nice, Mike. I…uh,…thank you. For bringing me here,"

A crisp breeze rustled their hair and cooled their faces. Mike smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'm happy that you are here," he told her. Blood rushed to his face and he watched her intently. With his heart beating madly in his chest and his stomach doing little flips, he faintly wondered if he should do what he wanted to do. His gaze flickered to her lips.

Tina blushed furiously when she caught him staring, and unable to tear her eyes away from him, she slowly leaned in. What were they doing? She wasn't' sure. Though it felt gloriously right and at the same time uncomfortably comfortable – if that made sense. She could hear her heartbeat loudly in her chest and she felt wonderful. This was it – whatever _it _really was.

And just as his face was a few agonizing inches from her own, the spell was broken as their cart lurched forward signaling their decent, and momentarily swinging them softly in the air.

Tina squealed and in the sudden momentum threw her arms around Mike's form, holding on for dear life and burying her face into the crook of his neck. "Oh my god," she breathed, letting out a shaky laugh and inhaling deeply. She blushed, he smelled wonderful.

Mike let out a nervous laugh, somewhat disappointed that their moment was broken by the rusty ferries wheel. But at the same time, as he held her close and they both shared nervous chuckles, he couldn't help but feel incredibly happy. They were about to kiss – so that definitely meant something, right? He grinned goofily as his hands curled into her shoulders and held her protectively throughout their decent. It definitely meant something.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave a review.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes: **I'm on a roll, baby! Third update for the day and I'm done! Writing about Tike surely lifts up my spirits and makes the day great. I hope you're all enjoying the Tike stories that are up today. There seriously need to be more of those around!

So, finally here it is: The next installment of the Tina and Mike date. It was definitely fun to write and I enjoyed playing around with the characters. Things are going pretty well for the characters and in terms of story development, so we are definitely on the right path for the two. I hope this is suits you all well.

I'm excited how the next chapters will be like, with more interesting moments to share and the upcoming wedding.

So here's the next chapter, people! And feel free to leave your reviews, comments and suggestions after reading. I love hearing from you guys!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

When they left the ferries wheel, their hands were still intertwined and bashful smiles played on their faces as they walked down the rickety stairs. Neither of them really bothered to pull away, as the scenario seemed extremely comfortable yet nerve-racking at the same time. Yet it all felt good – despite the would-be kiss earlier.

"How about we grab something to eat?" said Mike suddenly, after a few moments of comfortable silence between the two. They were just walking around the park aimlessly, more of an excuse to hold hands than anything else.

Looking up from watching the ground, Tina offered him a small smile and nodded. She blushed when she felt his hand squeeze her own. "Sure,"

"Great," Mike tugged her hand and led her towards the glowing food stalls. "I wonder if they have hotdogs, and maybe cotton candy and candy apples,"

Tina laughed as she allowed him to lead her through the crowd, pulling her by her hand and all the while talking about food. It was kind of amazing how the boy seemed to be incredibly engrossed with food. "Careful with all the food!" she grinned at him, as they stopped in front of a hotdog stall. "You might get indigestion or something,"

Mike laughed and tugged her arm lightly. "There's nothing wrong with worshiping food," he ordered them two hotdogs and grinned at her playfully. "And besides, I'm a growing boy,"

Tina rolled her eyes and tried to stand on her toes, just to come in relative level with his shoulders. "You're tall as it is already," she said, and nudged his shoulders playfully.

He laughed and shook his head in amusement. Noting that their food was done, he let go of her hand (albeit hesitantly) and paid for their meal, and took the two offered dogs. "C'mon, let's get other stuff," he said, while nudging her towards the other stalls.

In the midst of their light banter and shared laughter, they bought cotton candy and a small mound of assorted sweet treats. With their food and drinks in tow, they managed their way through the crowd and settled themselves on one of the park's benches.

"I think we got too much food," Tina commented, as she surveyed the food in between them. She looked in amusement at Mike as he pooped a fry into his mouth.

"We're going to finish it off," Mike assured her.

"You're going to finish it all off," she teased while watching him munch on his food in contentment. She smiled, slowly realizing that this was a side that she rarely saw of Mike.

"Eat your food, it's getting cold," Mike grinned at her, pointing at the hotdog in her hands. Chuckling, Tina nodded and started to slowly eat her food.

Their meal was filled with laughter and detailed discussions about embarrassing moments and school blunders. True enough, they steadily went through their small mountain of food.

"…and we just knew that at some point, those tight shorts of Tanaka would eventually rip. And true enough, during practice one day, he bent over and we heard a ripping sound. It was hilarious. Kurt actually fainted," Mike grinned widely at Tina, who now dissolved into peals of laughter. His grin widened as he listened to her laugh, it sounded melodious.

"That's a horrible mental image!"

"The image is forever burned into my mind, I'm scarred for life,"

She laughed and shook her head, closing her eyes and made a face. "I need to bleach my brain,"

"At least you didn't have to see it first hand," chimed in Mike, while munching on a ball of cotton candy they decided to share.

Tina grinned when some melted pink cotton candy stuck to the side of Mike's mouth. She stared for a moment, amused at the sight and oddly content just watching him. She smiled softly when he finally noticed her staring and began looking at her with a confused expression.

"There's something on my face, is there?" Mike sounded sheepish and tried to wipe off whatever there was on his face, to no success.

Tina chuckled under her breath and watched in amusement as he wiped his cheek, totally missing the spot. She smiled when he grinned goofily and looked embarrassed. "Here," Tina said and leaned over their food, and without really thinking of their proximity pulled her face closer to his and smiled when he stopped and stared at her. Placing her hand under his chin, she grinned and drew her thumb along the corner of his lips and removed the offending pink treat.

She was supposed to pull away immediately after removing the cotton candy, but she didn't. Tina couldn't, because Mike was staring at her intently and she couldn't just pull away. Maybe because she was staring at him intently as well, and her heart was hammering wildly in her chest. Her hand remained under his chin, and her gaze shifted from his partially open lips to his eyes, and she watched him do the same.

Tina shifted closer as her gaze dropped to his lips again and she felt him pull closer. She blushed when she felt his hot breath on her face, and a rush of excitement coursed through her body. She smiled softly and closed her eyes, shifting her position once more to get comfortable.

And her leg hit her soda can, effectively tumbling it over and spilling cherry coke all over the bench.

"Ah, shit," Tina whined as she felt the cold liquid on her knee, and pulling away quickly before anything could really happy. They both jumped off the bench, and watched in disdain as the can rolled on the bench and drenched the remainder of their food. Tina hopped on her right leg, and looked at the small coke stain on her left knee.

Mike was sure that they were about to kiss, as his heart tried to settle back into a normal beat and his face felt flushed. His gaze shifted from the drenched bench to Tina, who teetered on one leg and brushed dirt off her other leg.

"I'm sorry, Mike," Tina looked up at him apologetically, and stumbled slightly. She chuckled softly, as embarrassment set in and she averted her gaze. "I'm such a klutz,"

"It's okay," he assured and reached out to steady her. "No harm done,"

Tina looked at him worriedly, trying to make sure she didn't soil him in the process as well. "Sorry," she breathed softly and blushed. Did she just try to kiss him? Her blood roared in her ears.

An excited rush spread through him and Mike beamed down at her. They definitely were about to kiss, albeit foiled again, but it was definitely something. Feeling incredibly happy, Mike reached out and took her hand, interlacing their fingers and offering her a light squeeze. "Everything's great," he assured.

"Oh," Tina breathed, her face blushing at his sudden action and his warm hands. They exchanged softly smiles and she nodded slowly. "Okay,"

They stared at each other with small smiles, probably mulling over what just happened. Mike's smile turned into a goofy grin and he tugged her hand playfully and nodded his head towards the game booths. "C'mon, let's see if we have any luck with games,"

Tina nodded and allowed him to navigate them through the crowd, never letting go of her hand and keeping a firm grasp on it. She smiled at the sensation, deciding that she actually like this. They stopped in front of a ball and can toss game, and Mike grinned happily.

"I so got this," he beamed brightly and winked at Tina, releasing her hand and taking the offered baseballs.

Tina rolled her eyes in amusement as the typical guy complex seemed to emerge in Mike. Which she found quite endearing and cute, she realized. "Right," she chuckled softly, and watched him get ready to throw the ball. She giggled softly as he got serious and with ease reared back and threw the baseball at the stacked cans. With years of baseball practice under his belt, it was no surprise as the stacked cans all tumbled down, much to the dismay of the booth attendant.

"Hah," Mike grinned triumphantly.

Tina laughed and nudged him playfully. "You're such a guy,"

Mike's eyes twinkled in amusement and he stepped closer to her, his hands slipping back into hers and intertwining their fingers. He smiled when she blushed at the action. "But that's not a bad thing, right?" he grinned.

Tina laughed and squeezed his hand. "No,"

"Okay, pick a prize," announced the booth attendant, pointing to the stuffed animals and trinkets lined along the booth.

"Pick," Mike nudged Tina.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Yeah?" she asked breathlessly. When he nodded and nudged her, she turned back to the assorted stuffed animals and tried to find one that caught her interest. Smiling in excitement, she pointed at a bright pink teddy bear. "That one,"

Mike chuckled at her choice and watched as the attendant grabbed the stuffed animal and handed the pink monstrosity at the amused girl. "A pink bear?"

Tina laughed and tucked the bear into her free arm, hugging it to her torso. She beamed up at him after checking out the bear. "Of course, isn't it just weird?"

Mike reached around her and patted the bear's head. "Yeah,"

She nudged him and chuckled. "I'm sure Mr. Wiggles will like her," she joked. Smiling up at him softly, she squeezed his hand. "Thanks, Mike,"

Mike grinned, blushing softly and rubbing his neck nervously. "Anything for Mr. Wiggles,"

Tina laughed under her breath and shook her head in amusement. "Right," she said. Turning to the rest of the booths, she nodded her head towards them and smiled up at Mike. "C'mon, let's check out the rest,"

They tried a couple of games, with Mike acing some of the other games that required skill and accuracy. Tina laughed when he picked out a plastic tiara when she kindly refused to get another oversized teddy bear and crookedly placed it on her head. Tina tried her luck with games, and proved to do very well at the ring toss both, winning them a set of matching cartoon frog keychains. However, she did not do so well when it came to the balloon and darts booth, when she narrowly missed the booth attendant.

"Okay, I think I'll do the rest," Mike chuckled as Tina squeaked an apology at the disgruntled attendant. He took the rest of the darts and popped a couple of balloons. He won them a consolation prize of chocolate kisses.

They laughed as they played Whack-a-mole, even with their hands intertwined (which proved to be quite a challenge and they lost – but that did not seem to bother them). They challenged each other at Skeeball, and as Mike (awkwardly) held the pink teddy bear and watched Tina in her askew plastic tiara expertly play Skeeball he realized that he really liked Tina and suddenly desperately wanted to be the only guy that could hold her hand, take her out, and possibly even kiss. He grinned goofily at the thought.

After tossing the last ball, and successfully earning a higher score than Mike, Tina did a little jump and laughed triumphantly as she turned on her heels and grinned wildly at him. "Win!" she beamed up at him.

Laughing at her, yet sharing her happiness, Mike made face and handed the bear back to her. "I totally let you win," he said.

Tina laughed and stood next to him with a playful smirk. "You did not!" she grinned. They both laughed at the banter and proceeded to try out something else. While they were walking, they quickly reached for each others hands and intertwined their fingers. Smiling softly, they quickly exchanged glances before heading to the next booth.

It was later in the evening, when the air became colder and the people slowly started to trickle out of the park that Tina and Mike decided that it was time to call it a night. With hands still intertwined, and walking just a little bit closer than usual, the two were talking softly and sharing amused laughs as something amusing came up.

"Just saying," Mike said softly as they entered the car park and walked up to his car. "I think you should get more solos too,"

Tina blushed softly and shrugged, trying to dismiss the subject. "Nah," she said, as he let go of her hand and turned to open his car door. She watched as a disapproving look crossed his face and she leaned against the hood of the car, hugging the pink teddy bear to her torso. "I think Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes have that covered,"

Mike held onto his open car door and studied her, frowning slightly. "You do know you've got a phenomenal voice, right?" Tina blushed at the compliment. "You got to get more solos, I mean it,"

"Thanks," she smiled softly and watched him move to stand in front of her. She cocked her head and stared at him. "Then you should sing more too, beyond the whole background harmony stuff,"

Mike waved her off, smiling contently. "I'm good. I like the dancing and swaying behind Rachel Berry scene. The harmony is like the whole backbone of the entire thing," He grinned wildly.

Tina laughed. "See?" she began. "You said it yourself, doing the harmony isn't so bad after all," They slipped into his car and she stared at him as he chuckled.

"Yeah, but," he began, and slipped his keys into the ignition. "You're different. You deserve the solos,"

She blushed furiously and watched him gun the engine and slip out of parking. "You do too!" she protested and watched him grin into the oncoming traffic.

They continued to talk about Glee halfway through the trip, before Tina started talking about her sister's wedding and all the things she had to do for her sister. They laughed when she admitted about her fears of her sister's bachelorette party next month. Their conversation slowly winded down as they neared her street and they idly talked again about school and other mindless things.

They fell silent and small smiles played on their lips as Mike pulled up on her drive way and turned off the engine. Their gaze switched from Tina's house and back to each other, both sharing bashful smiles. Mike breathed nervously and held the steering wheel tightly.

"I had a really good time tonight, Mike," Tina turned to him and smiled softly. She held the pink bear in her lap and fiddled with its paws nervously. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest and she blushed. When has she ever felt so nervous?

"Yeah?" Mike perked up and he blushed as he stared at her with hopeful eyes. He felt insanely nervous. He awkwardly dropped his hand into his lap and wondered what he should do next as he stared at her.

"Yeah," Tina smiled and held up the bear. "And I got a new bear." She beamed at the pink fuzz ball. "Thanks,"

"I'm glad," Mike breathed.

Tina chuckled softly under her breath and nodded. She looked over her shoulder and eyed her house, her parents were most likely already asleep but they had left the foyer lights on. She turned back to Mike and smiled. "I think I should go inside,"

Mike nodded and swallowed nervously. His gaze flittered from her face to her front door. "I'll walk you up,"

Tina blushed and nodded, and they silently stepped out of his car and towards her front door. To her, it suddenly felt like a movie and she wondered when the romantic music would fade in. She never felt like this with Artie. She smiled softly in excitement and hugged the bear. "It's been really fun, Mike,"

Mike stuffed his hands into his pockets and nervously bounced on his heels. "Definitely a good time," he agreed. He watched her shift nervously and smile at him. Throwing caution into the wind, he reached out and patted the pink bear softly on the head. "I'm sure Mr. Wiggles will like the new company,"

"Yeah," Tina said breathlessly, staring up at him and her heart pounding in her chest. "He will,"

On their own accord, Mike's hand slipped from the bear's head on to her neck, where it agonizingly slowly slid up her neck and settled on her cheek. He watched Tina sigh softly and lean into his hand. Swallowing nervously and his gaze dropped to her partially open lips, and he stepped closer, swopping down and drawing his face closer to her own.

"Tee," he whispered softly, feeling her warm breath against his face and the familiar proximity of her body against his own. He watched as she her eyes fluttered closed as he was just a breath away from kissing her, this time without any interruptions.

He kissed her and Tina forgot how to think, as her hands curled into the pink bear, holding it tightly and relishing the feeling of his lips against her own. It was a sweet, tentative kiss and it rendered her breathless. She felt him draw closer and his thumb brushed against her cheek, making her hum in approval and wish that it would never end.

Mike pulled away hesitantly, his mind reeling at the kiss they had just shared and the feeling of her lips against his. Though it wasn't a long, heady kiss, it still left him breathless, and he watched with bated breath as Tina's eyes fluttered open and her soft sigh escaped her parted lips. He smiled nervously and brushed his thumb over her cheek as she smiled softly up at him.

"Hi," he whispered and he smiled down at her softly, his heart racing and feeling nervous.

Tina's eyes shined and she smiled, her breath caught in her throat and she was sure that her mind had turned into mush. "Hi," she mumbled.

He slowly withdrew his hand and blushed as he straightened. A goofy smiled played on his lips and he shifted nervously, watching her blush. "I'll call you tomorrow," he said.

"Yeah," Tina whispered breathily and blushed. She moved closer to her front door and fished out her house keys. She finally opened the door and turned around and smiled up at Mike, her eyes shining happily. "Good night,"

Mike grinned and nodded. "Good night, Tee," he whispered. They stared at each other for a moment and smiled, before Tina waved and closed the door silently. As he heard the door lock, a million thoughts raced through his mind and he felt extremely happy. Grinning brightly and walking back towards his car, he had a little spring in his step. And as he slipped his keys into his car door and spared a glance at the Cohen-Chang residence, he was sure his heart skipped a beat. Tonight was definitely a good night.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading! Please leave a review.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes: **Merry Christmas! Here's my Christmas gift for everybody: A new update for this story! Thank you for your continued readership and I wish you all the best and happiness throughout the holidays. Happy Holidays, guys!

Apologies for the late update. Work has been crazy for the past weeks and it has eaten up most of my personal time. Nonetheless, I'm glad I was able to sneak in writing time for this story. Hopefully, after a few more chapters, I'll be able to finish this one off and start a new one.

I hope you guys will like this chapter. Finally things between Tina and Mike are moving on and we're finally getting there. Again, thank you for following this story!

**Disclaimer: **Glee belongs to Fox.

* * *

Tina was officially late by the time she stumbled into William McKinley out of breath, cheeks flushed from her run (and from the brisk autumn cold), and slightly disheveled. The bell had already rung and the hallways were close to being deserted (save for some students who were either also late or chose to skip first period) as she hurried towards her locker and grabbed her AP Trig book.

She usually wasn't the one to be late, considering that her parents were too time conscious for their own good. That, and Kurt and Mercedes usually hung out at her locker in the morning for early morning gossip so it was mandatory to be early lest one had to face the wrath of Kurt.

But this morning she found herself waking up significantly late, after a rather late night of talking (chatting and texting) with Mike. After their date Friday night, they had met up again yesterday for a late lunch and spent most of the day together, which subsequently meant that they talked well into night (and early morning).

While whatever what was happening between her and Mike meant that she was totally late for her first period class, it was still definitely worth it, she thought. Rounding the corner, Tina rushed towards her classroom door and silently prayed that there was no pop quiz or anything serious going on within the confines of the room. She hoped that she could just silently slip into the back and not cause any commotion.

"Cohen-Chang,"

Tina cursed under her breath and stilled by the door, wincing at the tone of Miss Charlton and suddenly blushing as every head swiveled in her direction. "Sorry," she mumbled, embarrassed. She closed the door and tried to quickly find an empty seat somewhere in the back.

"So glad that you could join us," commented the old woman, clearly not amused as she watched Tina rush towards a seat next to a redhead.

"I'm sorry," repeated Tina, clearly embarrassed and trying to duck her head. She blushed furiously when she caught the curious eye of Mike, who sat up front (and who was clearly not late).

Miss Charlton nodded and eyed the young Asian sternly. "I won't write you off. Let's not make this a habit, or else I'll be seeing you in detention,"

Tina blushed furiously and nodded, relieved that she got away from detention. Her classmates snickered at her and she pointedly ignored the curious look Mike sent her. Trying to concentrate (really trying to), Tina dug through her bag, pulled out her book and notebook.

While still sleepy, and admittedly dozing off during some discussions about vectors, Tina somehow was able to make it through her class and still relatively understand what was going on. After the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Tina sleepily pushed herself out of her chair and joined the rest of the students out in the hallway.

"You were late," commented an amused voice beside her.

"Hmmm," Tina yawned, and followed the sea of students towards her next class. Sparing a glance at an amused Mike, she blushed softly and then quickly averted her gaze. "Woke up late,"

Mike looked sheepish. "I'm sorry I kept you up,"

Tina's eyes widened slightly and she blushed. "No, it's okay," she said in a rush. A small smile played on her lips. "Yesterday was fun,"

Mike grinned, suddenly feeling really happy and overcome with the urge to hug her right then and there. But he restrained himself, knowing that any sudden display of affections could either possibly scare her off or possibly stun her (and the rest of the student populace). "Friday night was fun too," he added.

Tina blushed, his kiss coming to mind. They had kissed again yesterday, after he had dropped her off at her house. She faintly wondered if he would kiss her again today. "The whole weekend was fun," she finally said.

The two stared at each other for a moment, loitering by his locker and just looking at each with small bashful smiles on their lips. However, the moment didn't seem to last long as the first warning bell rang for second period.

Tina looked away and spared the hallway a quick glance. "I'm off for Lit," she told him.

"I'll walk you," he offered, already grabbing her by the elbow and steering her down the hallway. He faintly wondered if it was alright to hold her hand.

Tina blinked and blushed when she felt his hand wander down her forearm, and for a moment hesitate by her wrist. Her hand shifted slightly, allowing his hand to slip into hers and their fingers intertwine. She smiled, blushing softly at the sensation. This definitely felt nice.

Except maybe of what was currently brewing in between Mike and Tina, everything else seemed to go on quite normally for the rest of the day. Kurt and Mercedes seemed to continue with their latest school gossip and fashion news, Artie was still around most of the time cracking jokes, and Finn and Rachel still seemed to be Glee's power couple.

Thinking of Rachel and Finn, Tina faintly wondered what she and Mike were right now. She really wasn't sure if they were a couple despite the fact that he had already kissed her and taken her out. This kind of seemed awkwardly new to her – with Artie is just kind of happened. But this time around, it was sweet, slow, and oddly meaningful.

Waving goodbye to Kurt and Mercedes later in the day, Tina smiled softly to herself and settled with the fact that at there was at least something going on and they were getting somewhere. The idea of actually dating Mike Chang made her heart race a little and she smiled. She liked the idea – just as she liked the idea of him holding her hand, or him kissing her.

"Leaving already?"

Tina jumped slightly, startled at Mike's voice. Looking over her shoulder, she must have passed by his car without her really noticing. Smiling slightly as she watched him watching her from his car, she nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said. "I'm meeting my sister and some of the wedding entourage for the final fitting,"

Mike straightened after having deposited his books into the backseat of his car. He nodded in understanding and walked up to her. he felt himself blush softly as he caught her watching him intently. He swallowed and he shyly pushed his hands into his pockets. "Can I call you tonight?"

Tina felt herself blush at his question, which to her sounded oddly intimate. She wasn't used to guys asking her if it was alright for them to call her. She shifted awkwardly and smiled lightly. "Yeah, you can,"

Mike grinned goofily and lightly bounced on his heels. "Great," he said with a little too much enthusiasm in his voice. He mulled over the idea of hugging her or possibly trying to sneak in a kiss, but with the parking lot still relatively populated he didn't want to push his luck – though he wasn't sure why he (they) were keeping things a secret. (what was being kept a secret in the first place?)

"Okay, then," Tina smiled tentatively and nodded. She was sure some of the Cheerios were looking at them already and that was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable. After the whole Artie fiasco (there was a silent outrage in the community how a Goth girl could break up with her boyfriend who was in a _wheelchair), _she didn't want another episode of unwanted attention and gossip (not that she was not getting that already, which she was). Being seen any how closer to Mike Chang, the _football player_, meant more gossip just waiting to spread like wildfire.

It was like the two of them were dancing around each other tentatively, trying to figure out what they were allowed to do right now. After another second of simply looking at each other in the crisp air, Tina smiled softly and nodded. Offering a shy 'bye', she hurried towards her car and slipped into it.

While giddy with the recent developments in her life, Tina spent the next three hours with her sister and her friends at the dress shop. With the wedding less than a month away, all the girls were excited and final dress preparations had to be made this of course meant squeezing into dresses and praying that everything fits.

"Maybe we can try to cut the dress a little lower?" offered one of Michelle's friends as everybody stared at Michelle in her white wedding dress. It was an empire cut dress, with a nice long white train, and delicate lace.

"And give my father a heart attack? No way," Michelle grinned in amusement at her redheaded friend and briefly examined the intricate bodice. The dress was perfect. "What do you think, Tina?"

After quickly sending a text to Kurt, Tina looked up and smiled warmly at her sister. "You look beautiful, Mich,"

Michelle grinned and smoothed out an invisible crease in her dress. "I'm excited," she beamed and practically all the girls in the room gushed. Tina rolled her eyes in amusement and remained quiet as her sister's friends quickly changed into their own dresses.

After some of the girls had changed into their dresses, Tina hopped off the plush couch and slipped into her own dress. While not her usual style, it definitely was pretty and chic. If there was one thing her sister knew well enough, it was stylish clothes. It was long flowing red dress, that was strapless and tastefully dipped by the chest and offered a little cleavage (much to her father's annoyance). A little silver broach held the flowing skirt together by her right hip.

"Now you look absolutely beautiful," Michelle grinned at Tina's reflection, after having changed out of her wedding dress and now standing next to her little sister. "Look at daddy's little girl,"

Tina rolled her eyes. "Look at what daddy will say when he sees too much skin,"

Michelle made a look of annoyance. "That man wouldn't know style even when it hit him square in the face. You look great, Tee," Cinching the dress by the waist, Michelle waved for the seamstress to come over. "Let's tighten it here just a little bit,"

"Do you want me to cut myself out of the dress after dinner or something?" Tina looked bewildered. "If you try to adjust this thing any more, I can't breathe,"

"I'm sure Mike has the whole cutting you out of this dress fully covered," Michelle said smugly.

Tina gapped at her sister and she felt a warm blush spread across her face. "Mich!"

"Don't think I didn't notice!" Michelle grinned wildly and nudged her sister playfully.

Tina stared wide eyed at her amused sister and tried to pull away from her. "I'd rather you not notice," she replied.

"He kissed you after he dropped you off from your little lunch date," Michelle grinned triumphantly. "He's so into you," Her grinned slowly widened as she stared at Tina's flustered expression. "And I can tell that you definitely like Mike Chang,"

Conversations like this with a family member always left Tina uncomfortable and incredibly flustered. Blushing furiously, Tina shuffled away from her sister and sent her a pointed look – since there was obviously no use in arguing with her sister. "Don't talk to dad,"

Michelle's grin only widened. "No need to, really."

Tina tried to ignore the comment and turned to the seamstress for a quick round of adjustments. She tried to tune out her sister, as she retold her love story with her fiancé and how Dave had kissed her in front of her doorstep ("Just like _Mike," _Michelle gushed and grinned widely at Tina).

Beyond the humiliation from her sister, the fitting turned out well enough in Tina's opinion – minus, of course, the fact that she got pricked several times by the seamstress. Her red maid of honor dressed fit her perfectly and she really had nothing to complain about. Though after hours of trying on dresses (Michelle had required her to change into another dress some time later in the wedding reception), Tina was worn out.

So she left her sister and her friends right after dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant and drove home, hoping to catch some early sleep and hopefully make it on time to class tomorrow. And as she slowly crawled into bed and easily welcomed the beginnings of sleep, her plans were foiled when her phone rang.

"'Lo?" Tina groggily said into her cell, failing to check the caller ID and simply rolling on her bed lazily.

"_I'm sorry. We're you asleep?" _

"Mike?" Tina blinked away the remnants of sleep and struggled to sit up as she listened to him chuckle deeply over the phone. "No, it's okay. I just dozed off,"

"_Tired?" _He asked with a small hint of amusement. She heard sheets rustle in the background and assumed that he was in his room and settling into his bed. As she thought this over, it sounded oddly comfortable.

"Yeah," she told him and followed suit, leaning against her pillows and settling in comfortably. "I can't believe a dress fitting can last for three hours,"

She heard Mike chuckle in amusement. "_But it must have been fun for you, yes?" _He paused and chuckled lightly. "_Don't girls like that stuff? Trying on dresses and all?"_

Tina laughed. "Yeah, sure. But after becoming a pin cushion, it kind of gets painful,"

"_Sorry to hear that," _There was a pause, as he tried to think of what to say to her next. He racked his brain to find something to say. "_How are you?" _

'_Seriously, Chang, How are you?' _Mike winced just second after the words left his mouth. He sounded like a pre-teener with a huge crush.

"Good, I guess," Tina answered awkwardly. "You?"

"_Good_," Mike cleared his throat. "_Really good_," He paused, again trying awkwardly to fill in the dead air. "_What's your favorite flower?_"

Tina blinked, trying to process his sudden question. She burst out laughing at the sudden change of topic.

"_Hey, what's so funny?_" Mike smiled lightly into the receiver, enjoying the melodious laughter that came from the other line. He liked the sound of Tina's laugh, it was light and heartfelt.

"Nothing," Tina giggled and wiped away a tear from her eye. "It's just kind of funny how quickly you changed topics," she grinned. "Lilies. I like white lilies,"

He was kind of surprised by her flower choice, but nonetheless kept that nugget of information for future use. "_Don't girls like roses?_"

Tina laughed. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not like most girls,"

Mike chuckled. "_True_," he said. "_And that's a good thing_,"

She blushed. Smiling softly into the receiver, she continued. "So, what's your favorite flower?" She asked and giggled when he made a surprised sound.

"_Are guys supposed to have a favorite flower?"_ He laughed and shook his head in amusement when he heard her giggle. When she egged him on to answer, he racked his brain for a flower type he kind of liked. "_Uh, a daisy?"_

Tina giggled at his flower choice. "Aw, 'fresh as a daisy?'"

"_Hey, no making fun of my flower choice!" _

"You were the one who started it!"

Mike chuckled and conceded. _"Okay, enough with the flower power. Let's try to talk about something else, before you fall asleep on me_,"

Over the span of an hour, Tina quickly learned that aside from daisy's being Mike's favorite flower, he liked dogs and was an avid _So you think you can dance _fan. She likewise learned that they both shared a sweet tooth, though he preferred milk chocolate while she on the other hand liked dark chocolate. Mike learned that she liked Japanese food, and surprisingly, volleyball.

"We _have to play volleyball together when summer comes around_," he announced in finality.

Tina rolled her eyes. "I'm not any good,"

"_I'll go easy on you_," Mike laughed.

Tina yawned and checked her watch. They've been talking for over an hour. Though it wasn't late, she'd really could use some sleep. "Thanks for calling me, Mike," she paused to yawn. "But I think, I really should sleep. I don't know where you get all the energy,"

"_I eat my_ _vegetables_," Mike chimed playfully knowing very well that Tina wasn't particularly fond of vegetables.

"Cute," Tina rolled her eyes and settled into her bed comfortably. "Good night, Mike,"

"_Night, Tee_," he grinned softly. "_See you tomorrow_,"

Getting attention was inevitable and as Tina stepped into WMHS the following day (on time), heads turned and the popular girls raised their eyebrows. Word had slowly spread of whatever was going on between her and Mike, and it could be safely assumed that the greater public was not impressed by it.

While she generally didn't care about what other people thought of her, it still bothered her to get all the unwanted attention. Not to mention all the snide remarks of her dumping a handi-capable boy for a boy with working limbs.

"So, you and Mike Chang are dating," Kurt slipped up next to her and smirked in amusement. He sent a group of Cheerios a scathing glance before turning back to Tina.

Tina blushed and ducked her head into her locker, pulling out a myriad of books. "We're just…"

"I don't know what you guys call it, but there's certainly something going on. And if rumors are true – of the date that we were not informed of – then you guys are definitely seeing each other," added in Mercedes, looking a cross between amused and smug.

Tina blushed and leaned against her locker as Kurt and Mercedes ganged up on her with smug expressions on their faces. "Alright already!" Tina cried in exasperation and held up her hands. "We went out Friday night and over the weekend? We've been talking on the phone. Happy? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"And the kiss?"

Tina's eyes widened and she blushed furiously as she tried to figure out who or how this could have gotten out. "Not talking!" she shook her head furiously and tried to slip past them to no avail.

"Spill, girl!" Snapped Mercedes, looming over Tina.

"We deserve to know, as we have taken active part in establishing whatever romantic Asian love is brewing between the two of you," Kurt smiled in amusement and adjusted his leather satchel.

"I like him, okay?" Tina relented and looked away blushing, finally giving in and admitting her feelings. "Mike's really nice and sweet, and…and I don't know. I like how things are going now, and I'm actually happy," She breathed shakily and paused. "So there. Happy?"

Kurt and Mercedes blinked, startled at the sudden outburst and revelation. They slowly smiled and nodded their heads. "Very," offered Kurt, glad at the sudden turn of events for Tina.

"Asian hot stuff at three o'clock," Mercedes announced softly and grinned wildly as Mike stopped by their group and greeted them, his gaze lingering at the meek Tina a little longer than it should.

"Ready for class?" he asked her, offering her an easy grin.

"Yeah," Tina told him, smiling softly and closing her locker. She suddenly felt much better, despite whatever gossip about them may be going around. She actually liked Mike, and now that she was able to say it, it definitely felt even better.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for reading. Please leave a review!


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